Megan 153
by schillingklaus
Summary: Melodramatic Multiplot Crossover Novel. After performing at the PCA Spring Fling, Drake decides to enroll at that private boarding school. Josh and Megan join in. Drake/Lola,Megan/Dustin,Josh/Quinn ...


**Megan 153**

* * *

**Klaus Schilling**

* * *

**Introduction**

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**Rating**:

* * *

PG 13

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******Disclaimer**:

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iDont Own _The iCarly Show_ or any of the used or alluded shows or lyrics. The shows are the works of Dan Schneider and his colleagues who work for Nickelodeon. The story is not made for other than non-profit usage.

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******Fandoms**:

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_The iCarly Show_, _Drake & Josh_

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******Genres**:

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Melodrama, Fluff, Friends, Family

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******People**:

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Megan Parker/Dustin Brooks, Josh Nichols/Quinn Pensky, Drake Parker/Lola Martinez, Eric Blonowitz/Craig Ramirez/Stacey Dillsen, Addie Singer/Chase Matthews, Ashley Blake/Logan Reese, Wendy Gellar/Michael Barret, Janie/Jack, Mindy Crenshaw/Firewire, Walter Nichols/Coco Wexler, Mrs. Heyfer/Dean Rivers …

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******Summary**:

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After having performed at the Spring Fling at PCA, Drake Parker joins that boarding school, along with his sister Megan and his step-brother Josh. Will they wreak havoc at their new school?

* * *

******Note**:

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The room number 153 equals 1 + 2 + … + 17. It is a holy number of the ancient Pythagoreans. Her bf Dustin will have number 265 — the best rational approximation of the square root of 3 as known to the ancient Greek was 265 over 153.

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******Timeline**:

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The Story follows the outline of Zoey 101, starting with the episode Spring Fling. It describes how Drake, Josh, and Megan integrate into the storyline and change it.

* * *

**Contents**

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Chapter 1 The Concert

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Chapter 2 Rencounter With Mindy

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Chapter 3 Fat-free Snacks

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Chapter 4 Dancing Floor

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Chapter 5 Mystic Beach

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Chapter 6 New Students

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Chapter 7 Insomnia

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Chapter 8 Electorial Campaign

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Chapter 9 Halloween

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Chapter 10 The Skunk

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Chapter 11 The Webshow

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Chapter 12 Chicken Pox

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Chapter 13 The Science Club

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Chapter 14 Jerk In The Fountain

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Chapter 15 Frazz

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Chapter 16 Smoked Tuna

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Chapter 17 Makes Me Happy

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Chapter 18 Rebecca

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Chapter 19 Headless

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Chapter 20 Biohazard Alert

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Chapter 21 Logan's Grandpa

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Chapter 22 Moon Bars

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Chapter 23 Rhythmic Gymnastics

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Chapter 24 The Wild Hunt

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Chapter 25 Chuck Javers

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Chapter 26 Dark Secrets

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Chapter 27 A Million Rain Drops

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Chapter 28 JT Hawthorne

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Chapter 29 I Want A G.O.

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Chapter 30 Lovesick Michael

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Chapter 31 Candle Light and Barbecue

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Chapter 32 Fire Alert

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Chapter 33 Plasma Reactor

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Chapter 34 Lance Rivers

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Chapter 35 Mouth Deodorant

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Chapter 36 Calvin's Demise

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Chapter 37 Beauty Pageant

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Chapter 38 The Next Doheny

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Chapter 39 Don't Go!

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Chapter 40 Laser Surgery

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Chapter 41 The Lion sleeps tonight

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Chapter 42 A New Custodian

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Chapter 43 James Garrett

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Chapter 44 Peanuts

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Chapter 45 Stable Relationship

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Chapter 46 Per Mile

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Chapter 47 The Mini Stove

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Chapter 48 Chocolate Soufflé

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Chapter 49 Exsiccated Rivers

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Chapter 50 Gravity

* * *

Chapter 51 Mr. Takato

* * *

**Chapter 1 The Concert**

* * *

Drake had just given a concert at the _Pacific Coast Academy_, some renowned boarding school at Malibu Beach. He had performed especially _Highway To Nowhere_[1:1].

The pupils had not been able to pay him, but he accepted the design of new t-shirts for the band as a payment.

His manager was not content with that deal. Alas, said manager was no good.

Drake had already thought about replacing him with Josh, his step-brother.

Maybe this was finally a good occasion to do so.

Zoey Brooks, the organiser of the party and artist who had designed the t-shirts, invited Drake for dinner at the school. 'Do you like sushi?'

Drake beamed. 'Sure!'

Zoey was accompanied by her friends Dana Cruz, Nicole Bristow, Chase Matthews, and Michael Barret.

Nicole was a real bimbo girl. And apparently she had a crush on Drake. Of course she had a crush on about every cute boy, and many girls had a crush on Drake. 'Drake, you're so cute! I love you! Oops!' She couldn't stop talking. 'Why can't you stay here with us? Then we could marry.'

Drake choked. _This was going a bit too fast!_ 'Er, do you think so?' He scratched his head. _He had barely avoided being expelled from __Belleview School__, and his teacher, Mrs. Heyfer, still hated him. Maybe a change would not have been that bad?_ He sighed. 'OK! I'm going to ask my mom. But my step-brother Josh has to come as well!'

Zoey nodded. 'Sure! Is he fun?'

Drake shrugged. 'He performs magic tricks that never work, and he reads many books. But he lost the last science fair to Mindy Crenshaw.'

'OK!' Zoey shrugged. 'Consider him invited. Apropos science fair … there's our local science freak, Quinn Pensky!' She called Quinn over. 'Hi Quinn! You might get some competition! Drake's step-brother is a passionate science freak, and he might come to PCA!'

Quinn shrugged. _For sure he would not be a serious competitor._

'Oh Quinn … where is Dustin?' asked Zoey.

Dustin was her little brother, only slightly younger thank Drake's little sister Megan.

Quinn shrugged. She had forced him to stay awake for over 3 days straight.

Dustin had now collapsed and fallen asleep, but Quinn couldn't know that.

Zoey was slightly upset. 'Quinn! What devilish experiments have you been doing with him?'

'Er …' stammered Quinn.

'Excuse me!' told Zoey unto Drake and her friends. Then she grabbed Quinn by the top. 'We'll go and look for Dustin! And woe to you if anything bad has happened to him!'

Drake snickered.

'She's very protective!' remarked Michael.

'Too protective,' added Chase, 'most of the time, at least …'

Dana and Nicole chuckled.

'So … how is life at this school?' wondered Drake.

'There are many cute boys …' Nicole squealed joyfully. 'Sooooo cute!'

Dana looked angrily at Nicole, but she couldn't stop her.

'Such as Logan Reese …' added Nicole.

Dana Cruz butted in. 'He's a jerk!'

'A cute jerk!' Nicole beamed.

Drake Parker coughed. 'Logan Reese , as in Malcolm …' Drake wanted to make it into the Hollywood business, and knowing the son of the king of the Hollywood producers would certainly be more than just a little bit of a help. 'I have to enroll! Tomorrow!'

Nicole cheered like nobody's business. 'I knew that you would do it, for me!'

While Nicole wasn't exactly the reason why Drake was all of a sudden so keen on joining the PCA, he wouldn't have minded getting to know Nicole or one or the other of the rest of the sweet girls a bit better. _Best would have been all of them, as Drake was an undecided jerk._

* * *

The evening with the boarding school's boys and girls had been quite nice, but Drake finally returned to San Diego. 'Josh … would you mind switching schools?'

'Why?' Josh was shocked.

'I'm so unhappy at Belleview, and just because I've barely escaped from being sentenced and expelled doesn't mean that I'm now everyone's favourite pupil.' Drake sighed. 'At the PCA, I would be a hero!'

'The PCA? It costs a fortune!' Josh was downright consternated. 'Well, I might get a scholarship, but you? I guess you really want to go there for the chicks! '

'That too,' admitted Drake. 'But there are many future Hollywood producers …'

Josh shrugged carelessly.

'They even have got a scientific laboratory, and a library,' grumbled Drakwith disgust.

Josh felt his eyes bugging out. 'Mom! May we go to a boarding school near Malibu?'

Audrey came along. 'I don't know whether we can afford that.'

Drake handed a sheet with information about the PCA unto his mom.

Audrey went to the phone. and pushed some digits. 'Good evening, Mr. Rivers … under the showers? Oops! … ' Then she told Dean Rivers about Drake and Josh.

The call was going to last for like half an hour.

'And the best is: No Megan! It's a boys-only school!' Drake beamed brightly!

Josh wanted to cheer, but … 'And what about the girls that invited you over there?'

Drake looked dumbfounded, and spewed the ginger ale onto Josh's top.

Josh was upset. 'OK, it has been a boys-only school until last year. But mom doesn't need to know that it isn't anymore!'

Drake sighed with relief.

Finally, mom came back. 'Good news! A certain Ms. Brooks had convinced that Dean Rivers that the school needed its own band! This means: Drake gets a full scholarship on tuition, just not boarding.'

Drake and Josh highfived.

'OK, and I can't let you dummies go there alone, because bad things might happen.' Audrey sighed. 'So I've decided to enroll Megan, as well!'

Drake stared at Josh with dismay.

Josh stared back at his brother.

'Megan?!' they stammered unison. Both of them were consternated.

* * *

Walter dropped Drake, Josh, and Megan at the drop site.

They saw Zoey, Dustin, and Chase.

Dustin was most excited. 'Drake!' He beamed. 'Sorry, I haven't been to your concert because sleep had overwhelmed me …'

'And Quinn is going to pay for that!' boomed Zoey. 'OK, Mr. Parker …'

'Nichols … I'm Drake's step-dad,' corrected Walter.

'Whatever … I will bring Megan to her dorm, Chase will care for the boys!' announced Zoey.

Walter was happy because he did not have to carry Megan's suitcase.

'Oh, this is Ms. Coco Wexler, the Dorm Adviser for the girls!' announced Zoey.

Coco held an open can of half-rotten ravioli aloft.

'Sorry mam, you've got some sauce in your face.' Walter stuck his finger up to Coco's cheeks, and licked it. 'Yummy!'

'Zoey, may I lead Megan, and you go with the boys?' begged Dustin. 'Please!'

Zoey shrugged. 'OK!'

Dustin was so refreshing, totally not-boobish.

Megan beamed brightly. 'Dillard Hall 153!'

Dustin nodded. 'OK! Do you want me to carry your suitcase?'

'Let's share!' Megan smiled. 'OK, and then let's look what's fun at this school …'

'I'm sure there will be a lot …' Dustin chuckled.

Megan nodded. 'I have prepared some plans I need your help for … it will be a lot of fun!'

* * *

Chase, Michael, and Zoey brought Drake and Josh to their dorm.

'I'm happy that you didn't drag Nicole in here …' Drake said. 'See, she's a nice and totally hot girl, but she gets on my nerves. That'd be too much for my first day.'

Michael, Chase and Zoey nodded. They were well aware of Nicole's bimboish demeanour.

'But, please, that's only for now. I don't mind hanging out with her over the next weeks or so.' Drake smiled like the rake that he was.

'And never ever unleash that other girl on us … Denna or Deena or …' Josh sighed.

She was such a scary tomboy …

Zoey nodded. 'Certainly, we all know Dana and Nicole. They are my roomies, and they use to cost my last nerves!'

'So … when may we go on a date, Zoey?' asked Drake, his eyes gleaming in anticipation.

'Drake, forget it, she's too good for you,' whispered Josh into Drake's ears.

'You wish, you jerk ,' boomed Zoey.

Drake shrugged. 'I know!' He sighed deeply. 'I just can't help trying.'

'Logan Reese is worse,' stated Chase.

Michael nodded wholeheartedly.

Finally, Drake and Josh had finished their luggage and were bound to sleep in their new beds.

Their new friends walked out through the door, and waved a good-bye to them.

'It isn't quite as it is at home, but I like it,' remarked Josh.

Drake nodded. 'And the chicks! Have you seen that …' He listed all the girls that had impressed him today, a long list.

Josh fell asleep until dawn.

Drake was awake on and off, thinking about all the wonderful things he was possibly going to encounter on the campus.

* * *

**Chapter 2 Rencounter With Mindy**

* * *

Megan wrote into her diary:

* * *

I've been here at the PCA for two weeks now. I share a dorm with two mates.

One of them is Wendy, a girl that I know from my rangers' group. She had been an annoying pest that stalked Drake, wishing to marry him[2:1]. Now she's just a friend of him, which is great.

My other roomie is Ashley Blake[2:2], a girl that is already a Hollywood star.

I like it how she has treated my boobs when she visited the Premiere Theatre, they so deserve it. I've made some other friends, such as Dustin and his roomies Jack and Max[2:3].

They help me pulling pranks on the boobs which is harder than I've thought.

There are so many rules here, such as curfews.

Fortunately, our dorm adviser, Coco Wexler, is such a boobette, she can be tricked easily or bribed with ravioli.

Roger and Over.

* * *

It was another day at the PCA, and Megan was ready for going to breakfast, together with Wendy and Ashley.

* * *

Megan and Wendy chewed on their blueberry wafers and sipped their cocoa when someone entered whom Megan did not want to see again.

'Mindy Crenshaw!' Megan sobbed with dismay. She remembered that it had been Mindy who had almost got Drake framed for her own crimes.

It's not that Drake wouldn't have deserved it, but Mindy was not a member of the family, thus Megan could not allow her to ruin Drake's life.

She explained Wendy and Ashley what Mindy had done.

Megan's room-mates declared to stay tuned.

Ashley, inspite of being deemed a little Satan by Drake, had recognised that Drake was soon going to be a superstar like herself. She thus had expressed her solidarity with him.

Wendy was no longer obsessed with Drake, but, as a friend, she could not allow anyone to destroy Drake's life.

A minute later, the boys from room 265 bounded in. 'Hi girls!' They sat down at their table.

Dustin asked why Megan was so anxious.

Wendy sighed. ' Well, look, she just encountered a girl whose goal is to ruin her brother's life.'

Ashley pointed at Mindy.

'Stasie?' asked Dustin.

'That's Mindy Crenshaw,' explained Megan. Then she told the boys what Mindy had done to Drake.

Dustin was dumbfounded. He knew the girl as Stasie. 'But maybe her name is as fake as her words …'

Megan nodded. 'Why would I not be surprised that she entered this school under a fake name? She has been supposed to go to mental rehab for what she had done to Drake!'

Dustin and Megan's other friends agreed. 'She probably escaped cuckoo's hut by enrolling here under a fake name! And there's even more …'

Jack nodded. 'You know about the official PCA backpacks?'

Megan still used one from San Diego. 'I've seen some rather fanciful ones here …'

'My sister has designed them,' remarked Dustin proudly , beaming like a light bulb.

'She has got a good taste!' Megan smiled. She was as proud of Drake as Dustin was of Zoey, but she would not admit to him having a good taste unless absolutely necessary.

Dustin nodded. 'Nicole has stained a backpack in Schneider's campus store , and Zoey has ornated and styled it thereafter. But yesterday, Stasie took various pics of such a backpack. Today, there are rumours about new fashionable backpacks being sold on campus. I don't believe it's an accident. Stasie, or, if you want, Mindy, must be at the bottom of that, and she stole Zoey's idea.'

* * *

Quinn Pensky, a science geek girl, was standing in the garden of the PCA. She watched some strange plant growing.

Along came Josh. 'Hey, what you are doing … that looks interesting …'

Quinn nodded. 'My scientific projects … my favourite fruits are apples and bananas. Thus I try to cultivate a cross of them, calling it banapples.'

Josh asked Quinn: 'Do you need any help with your project?'

'Er … what?' She was not accustomed to pupils wanting to help her.

Most of them deemed her eccentric and quirky.

Josh sighed. 'See, at the last two science fairs, I've lost to some Mindy Crenshaw. Last time, she cloned her puppy. I couldn't hold a candle to her. Maybe if I help you, I can create something bigger.'

Quinn shrugged. 'OK, if you really want, my project is open for you!'

Josh smiled. He knew that he could never defeat Mindy at a science fair on his own, but with an enthusiastic partner he would possibly stand a chance.

Quinn explained what she had done so far.

Her vocabulary was very scientific and elaborated, but Josh had no serious problems with that.

Suddenly, Dustin and Megan bounded in.

Quinn asked: 'Hi Dustin! What's up?'

Megan answered for him. 'Mindy Crenshaw is here! And she has stolen Zoey's backpack design.'

Drake and Quinn were paralysed for dismay.

'She's mean!' Dustin concluded after telling Quinn about Mindy's deeds in San Diego.

'If you know her real name,' pondered Quinn, 'why don't you go and report her to Dean Rivers? She would certainly be expelled for such a fraud!'

Josh was rigged and ready to follow Quinn's suggestion.

'Hm … I don't know. I prefer to keep enemies close …' Megan grinned.

'Hey! maybe that's not a bad idea!' Quinn nodded.

'I don't know …' Josh showed remorses.

'Come on, Josh, if she stays here, we may humiliate her at the next science fair,' remarked Quinn.

Josh beamed. 'Yeah! That's what we will do!' He highfived Quinn.

'Doesn't mean that we can't menace Mindy, or Stasie, whatever, with that!' Megan grinned evilly.

Quinn, Josh, and Dustin shared Megan's opinion.

Megan looked at a scarecrow Quinn had positioned next to the banapple bush.

'Be careful! The scarecrow fires laser beams,' Quinn warned Megan.

Megan scratched her head. She could have used such a mechanism for her pranks. But for that avail, she needed to get at Quinn's plans for the scarecrow device. 'Can't you build the scarecrow in Josh's likeness? That would make the birds die from laughing!'

'Aw you …!' Josh chased Megan around the garden.

* * *

Megan had told Zoey not to do anything against Mindy.

The parasitic herbs were going to be erased at harvest time.

Just a week later, the students who participated in the science fair were rigged and ready to present their projects.

Mrs. Bromwell[2:4], teacher for chemistry at PCA, spoke a few words before visiting the tables. ' OK, Stasie, your projects looks interesting. You've cloned a banana bush, and one of the resistant sort that does not procreate in Northern America. That's fantastic!'

Mindy offered a banana unto Mrs. Mromwell.

The teacher nodded contentedly when she bit the fruit.

Mindy beamed proudly. She was secure in the knowledge that nobody was able to beat that, hence she was about continuing her series of not being beaten at science fairs.

Mrs. Bromwell stepped up to Quinn's desk. ' Mrs. Pensky, what is that plant?'

Quinn smiled. 'It's a banapple, a cross between an apple and a banana. It may grow everywhere where apples may grow, even up in Wisconsin.'

Mrs. Bromwell whistled appreciatively. 'That sounds interesting.'

Quinn picked a fruit from the banapple tree and handed it unto Mrs. Bromwell. 'There you are!'

Mrs. Bromwell's eyes bugged out. 'Whoaaaaah! That's the most fantastic fruit I've ever bit!' She didn't need to think for too long. ' And the winner of this year's science fair is … Ms. Quinn Pensky!'

Mindy fainted. _How could such a thing happen?_ She couldn't understand that there were other brilliant students at this school.

Quinn had something to add, 'I wouldn't have come there without a comrade who helped me when I was stuck with a problem making the fruits too acidic.'

Mrs. Bromwell wanted to see Quinn's partner.

Along came Drake and Josh.

'There he is … Joshuah Nichols,' announced Quinn, smiling with pride.

Mindy almost passed out when she saw her rival and his brother.

'Oh, Mindy, before I forget it … I may tell Dean Rivers anytime,' whuispered Drake unto Mindy. 'And I'll do so on site unless you pay Zoey for her backpack design. Zoey is a gifted fashion designer, and if you want to market her skills, you're invited to do so, but render unto her what is her share!'

Mindy grumbled with disgust, but she had no choice but paying Zoey who was going to invest the money into a new DVD plant for the lounge.

It was the worst day in Mindy's life.

Quinn and Josh peeled a few banapples.

'Awwwww … that's so yummy!' Josh felt melting away.

Quinn nodded. 'Do you know that I may feel the emotions of food? Those banapples are all happy!'

Josh had never ever heard that food might have emotions of whatever kind, but now, as Quinn was talking about it, it was so compelling. 'Oh, really? That would be a revolutionary discovery.'

Quinn nodded. 'Alas, people here call me a spaz for my research, including my friends Zoey, Chase, and Michael.'

Josh suggested to ignore them. ' Sooner or later they will have to bow unto you, when you show them your Nobel Prize.'

Quinn smiled sweetly. _Josh understood her much better than even her own boyfriend, Mark Del Figgalo. Maybe she had chosen the wrong guy? Mark was a bigger dork than Quinn. He didn't pick on her like everyone else, but maybe that was because he had no emotions or opinion about anything, or was just too lazy to argue over them._ Whatever, for the time being, Quinn decided to leave things as they were.

Drake sat down in the shadow, and strummed his guitar, singing about Mindy's craziness.

Mindy was humiliated, but she was not near going to give up anytime soon. She was going to think about some way to hurt Drake and Josh and torture them excessively. _One day when Megan wasn't there in order to save her boobs — whenever that day was to come._

* * *

**Chapter 3 Fat-free Snacks**

* * *

Megan strolled along the campus. She found Quinn who mixed various tinctures, powders, essences, and whatsoever, in test tubes and pots.

The colours changed rapidly.

The stuff in some of the tubes looked rather icky, while the end result wasn't disgusting at all.

'Hi Quinn! Those look yummy!' Megan looked at a bag of something similar to spicy potato crisps.

Quinn sighed deeply. 'I've invented fat-free snacks that look like potato crisps. They even taste like them.'

'Wow! That's great!' Megan beamed. _ Josh should have lost a bit of weight, and Drake was so obsessed with junk food, making it a bit healthier wouldn't have been bad._

Quinn sobbed. 'But I don't get the hang out of it! Michael is in various athletic teams. He ate too many of these junk snacks. I've made him fat free versions, but they exhibit some drawback …'

'A drawback?' Megan wondered. _That sounded so much like a cool idea for a prank!_

Quinn nodded. 'The problem is … if you eat them, you lose your voice for a while.'

Megan pretended to be concerned, but she beamed inside, shining like some thousand suns.

Quinn told Megan that she had to improve the stuff before she could let anyone taste them again.

Megan waved at Quinn, and raced away.

Quinn continued mixing various ingredients. She held a test-tube against the sun, checking colour and consistency. She smelled the fumes of the liquor.

Her nose was extremely sensitive.

After scrutinising the results of her blending activity, she scrupulously recorded her observations.

Five minutes later, Megan Parker returned. 'Any progresses made?'

Quinn shrugged. 'I'm not sure. I guess I should test them on my rat!'

Alas, Megan had some different test rabbits in mind.

Quinn stood up. 'I have to fetch my rat. Will you please take care of the spot here? Nobody is allowed to touch the stuff here!'

'Sure,' promised Megan while whistling innocently.

A few seconds later, Quinn had disappeared from sight.

Megan opened her school back, and took a bag of normal potato snacks out of it. She filled the content of the bag into the container Quinn had been storing her fake crisps in, and she filled her bag with fake snacks. She was done with this before Quinn showed up again. 'Nobody touched your experiment,' reported Megan plastering an innocent smile.

Quinn smiled. She had no clue what had happened.

Megan waved, and snuck away with her bag of fake crisps.

* * *

Dustin entered the hall of Drake and Josh, equipped with a bag of fake potato snacks. He knocked at Josh's and Drake's dorm door. 'Hi boobs!'

'Aw it's you, Dustin!' Josh sighed.

'May I play your new Alien-Invasion? I've got some snacks for you!' Dustin begged.

Usually, Drake would not have tolerated kids in Megan's age in his dorm, but the potato crisps had easily swayed him into oblivion. 'Oh, thanks, that's what I call a deal!' He grabbed the bag greedily, and started chewing. 'Yummy!'

Josh activited the bluetooth joystick in the second USB port of his game sphere. 'The ultimative video gaming fun! Wireless joysticks rock!'

'Totally!' Dustin smiled. He relaxed in one of the bean bags and took the wireless joystick. 'Medium Level, please!'

Josh nodded, and they started a duel.

Dustin reached level 99 way faster than Josh.

'Hey! You've beat my high scores,' moaned Josh.

Dustin beamed proudly.

Josh almost forgot about time, but after over an hour, Dustin had to return to his dorm.

'Curfew, sorry!' Dustin sighed. 'You will get your revanche, maybe tomorrow?'

Josh smiled. 'OK! But then you're due! Master level!'

Dustin waved, and left the dorm of the big boobs.

* * *

Megan stepped up to her plasma screen, and activated it.

Ashley and Wendy relaxed in their bean bags.

'Boob and Boob!' Megan beamed.

Drake and Josh appeared on the screen.

Drake picked his guitar, and practised another song he had been working on for the last weeks.

* * *

You say that I suck and I'm lousy,  
You say I can't write, not yet  
You always told me how to be,  
Now I'm sick of it,[3:1]

* * *

Just when he had sung the word _sick_, Drake's voices started to thin out.

'Finally!' Megan beamed.

Ashley highfived Megan. 'Better than canine puke and vermin!'

'You're so mean!' Wendy pouted when she noticed her idol's voice fainting away.

Josh tried to get Drake to talk. 'What's up, brother?'

Drake, of course, was unable to answer in a human manner. He just stammered animalic noises.

Josh was worried. He took his cell phone. ' Emergency! Emergency! Paging Dr. Pensky …'

Megan went pale, all of a sudden. 'Oh no! He calls Quinn for help!'

'And so?' Ashley wondered.

Megan sighed. 'Quinn will figure that her fakes crisps must have taken Drake's voice away, as they did to Michael!'

Ashley's breath paused. 'Oh no!'

Alas, when Josh started to explain the situation unto Quinn, his voice lost its vigor, to the degree of being unable to tell Quinn what had happened!

'Hey! Josh had a few pieces of that fake junk, as well!' Ashley beamed.

Megan applauded. 'Good boob!' She beamed.

'It will be temporary, right?' asked Wendy for reassurance.

Megan nodded. 'Correct!'

As both of the boobs had fallen silent, they were unable to call for help from Quinn, or anyone else for that matter.

* * *

While Drake, who had swallowed most of the snacks, was still silent, Josh was able to talk again the next morning, yet with a weak and distorted voice.

'Josh!' Quinn found him in the cafeteria. ' What had been going on? You were suddenly all silent …'

Josh sighed. 'All of a sudden, my voice was gone … and Drake's voice had been gone before mine, That's why I've called.' He had to torture himself in order to be understood by Quinn.

Quinn shrugged. 'Oh, that reminds me of Michael.'

'Has he lost his voice?' Josh wondered.

Quinn nodded. 'He ate fake potato crisps, fat-free ones … I've made them for him. But he has obtained his voice back. And I've changed the formula. Now my rat hasn't lost its voice, so the snacks must be OK. Do you want some?'

Josh twitched. 'Er … did you say … potato crisps?'

Quinn nodded. 'Sure I did!'

Josh trembled with disgust. ' The whole thing happened after Drake ate a sack full of potato snacks! And I've had a few of them, as well. Not many, though …'

Quinn coughed. 'Erm … how did you get my fake potato snacks?'

'Dustin brought us a sack of …' replied Josh. ' And that may only mean one thing …' He twitched, stood up, and yelled at the top of his lungs: 'Aw Megan!' He sat down again, all upset. 'Your rat may speak?'

Quinn nodded. 'I have trained it to do so.' Then she gasped. ' Megan must have exchanged the snacks while I've been away in order to fetch my rat. And that means …'

Josh pondered what it meant.

'Well, when the rat didn't lose his speach, I've concluded that the crisps were OK, and then I have given away a bunch of them to the teachers and …' stammered Quinn.

The megaphone howled: 'Attention! This is Beverly, the secretary of Deamn Rivers. Today's classes are all cancelled because most of the teachers are unable to speak. The reason for this is not yet known.'

Drake, who had been sitting nearby, all silent, stood up, and bounced around cheerfully. He took his guitar and strummed it.

Quinn remarked: 'I guess now we do know the reason!'

Josh sighed. 'May I have a look at your formula? Maybe I can help you debug it …'

Quinn smiled. 'Sure!'

* * *

In the evening, Josh and Quinn had found the error.

'I'd be lost without you,' admitted Quinn. 'Do you want a few of the snacks?'

Drake was now able to say a few words. 'No, thanks, I've learnt my lesson, the hard way. Never again junkfood! Zoey was right when she said that I should eat more vegetables instead!'

'I've exaggerated with videogames as well.' Josh sighed. ' I should try some sports instead!'

'OK! I practice rope jumping. It makes your brain vibrate. You'll love it, as you have got such a lot of it,' remarked Quinn, chuckling politely.

'Oh, thanks!' Josh smiled. 'You're wonderful!'

Quinn smiled.

Dustin, Megan, Ashley, and Wendy observed Quinn and the boobs from behind the shrubbery.

'See? It's all for the better of the boobs!' Megan chuckled, along with Dustin and Ashley.

Wendy agreed wholeheartedly.

'Too bad Quinn had already got a boyfriend.' Dustin sighed sadly.

'Oh, I didn't know that.' Megan was a bit shocked.

Dustin started explaining: 'His name is Mark Del Figgalo. He's even more of a dork than Josh. But he's not half as knowledgeable!'

Megan shrugged. 'OK, that is not yet set in stone!' She whistled innocently. 'Many things are going through revision after revision.'

Dustin snickered. 'I don't know what you're up to. Would I want to know it?' He shrugged.

Megan snickered. 'Probably, as I might need your help, sooner or later!'

Dustin and Ashley chuckled.

'Why does Drake listen to Zoey instead of me?' boomed Wendy, filled with jealousy.

Megan shrugged.

Dustin explained: 'Zoey would turn him down. She's too perfect for a jerk like Drake.'

Megan chuckled ecstatically. 'You don't have to worry, Wendy!'

* * *

**Chapter 4 Dancing Floor**

* * *

Ashley was off for taping some commercial.

Wendy and Megan sat alone in their dorm.

Dustin and Jack bounded in. 'Hi girls!'

'Hi Dustin! Any news from Zoey?' wondered Megan.

'There's that school dance on its way.' replied Dustin.

'I guess she will go with Chase,' wagered Megan.

Dustin shrugged his shoulders. 'A stupid computer is going to decide. They have to fill in some questionary and stuff. I'll hate it if she has to go with some brainless jerk and jock …' He shuddered with downright disgust.

'May I go there with Drake?' Wendy beamed brightly.

'The dance is only for middle- and highschool,' specified Jack. 'We elementary school kids are not wanted.'

'That's so not fair!' Wendy pouted.

Megan pondered. ' OK, we just need an older girl who does not want to go to the school dance, and you will use her questionary!'

Wendy beamed brightly.

They heard someone knocking at the door.

Wendy opened.

Chase bounded in. 'Hi! OK, there I am … have you already heard about the School Dance?'

Megan nodded. ' But those filthy creeps don't want us kids to participate …'

Chase shrugged. 'Is that my fault? OK, I've been looking for Dustin. Max said that he might hang out with the girls here, so …' He breathed heavily. ' You know that I don't want Zoey to go there with some ruthless jerk like Logan or even worse, if that's possible …'

Dustin nodded. 'I don't either!'

Chase smiled. 'OK, Dustin, I need you to fill in my questionary … You know Zoey better than I do, and will get the right answers.'

Dustin nodded. 'Elder sisters have gotb their secrets … but of course I'll try to give my best!'

Chase smiled and handed his questionary unto Dustin.

Wendy smiled. 'Do you know a girl of your classes that does not want to participate in school dance?'

Chase scratched his head. 'Not from the top of my head, but I'll ask around. Why?'

'For the statistics, not much …' Megan whistled.

* * *

Today, the pairings for the school dance were announced.

Many, many pupils were waiting in fron of the bulletin board.

The queues were annoying.

Zoey Brooks sighed with relief when it was finally her turn. Then she looked anxiously for her name. 'Hey! That can't be right! Glen Davis? Who is that?' Alas, she was always curious to get to know other pupils. Then she looked at the other end of the board.

Her eyes bugged out, as she was listed again.

'Dustin Brooks? What the … ' She threw up in her mouth. 'I'm expected to go to the ball with my little brother?' She fainted, and was close to passing out.

Drake and Josh had been waiting just a few pupils further down the queue.

Josh urged Drake to take the first look.

'Wendy Gellar?' Drake's heart stopped beating.

Josh grabbed Drake and started reanimating him with a kiss of life.

'Get your lips off my mouth,' yelled Drake at his step-brother with disgust.

Josh shrugged. He decided to have a look at the board. He hoped that he was not going to be forced to guide Mindy Crenshaw to the ball. ' Hey! There's me … Josh Nichols … and … Quinn Pensky!' He smiled. But then his face cramped. 'Doesn't she already have a boyfriend, Mark or so?'

Drake shrugged. 'That's not your problem.'

Drake and Josh stepped away. They found Mindy.

Josh sighed with relief. ' Fortunately that computer didn't match the two of us! Heh!' He taunted his rival.

Mindy grinned slighly. 'That's good, elephant, for I haven't even applied for the school dance.'

'That's good, for nobody would even want to dance with a creature,' thundered Drake sarcastically.

Mindy laughed. 'I've given my questionary to Wendy, instead!'

Drake went pale. 'You did what, you creepy creature, you …' He was close to spitting at Mindy.

'Have fun at the ball!' Mindy smiled sadistically, and walked away.

Drake and Josh looked dumbfounded.

* * *

Zoey stormed the lounge of the elementary school boys. ' Dustin! What's that?' She showed him her sheet.

'So, you're going to go to the ball with whom?' wondered Dustin. Then he saw his own name next to Zoey's. He coughed and choked. Then he threw up, right on Zoey's manolos.

'Dustin,' thundered Zoey at her little brother, 'explain it! Now! Or do I have to tell mom that you try to sneak into the dance for older pupils?'

Dustin went pale.

Filled with disgust, Jack wiped the vomit from Zoey's shoes.

Dustin had filled in Chase's questionary, but, accidentally, inserted his own name instead of 'Chase Matthews'. _How could he be that careless … but now it was too late!_

Zoey grabbed Dustin's top. 'I'm waiting!'

Dustin was perplexed. 'Should he have told Zoey that he had been helping Chase to cheat with his questionary? Zoey might not have talked to Chase again.'

Megan bounded in. At first glance, she did not notice Zoey. ' Hi Dustin! The trick with filling out Mindy's questionary has worked perfectly. Now Wendy and Drake have a date for school dance!' She beamed, but then she noticed what Zoey was doing to Dustin. 'Zoey! Leave him in peace, or …'

'Or what?' Zoey protested. In no time, Zoey found herself trapped in a net, and in suspense from the ceiling. Too bad, she had torn a scrap from Dustin's top. She squealed and floundered.

Megan grinned.

Dustin sighed. 'That was my favourite top!' Upon calming down, he explained unto Megan that he had been selected by that dumb computer as Zoey's partner for the dance.

Megan shrugged. She didn't want to betray Chase, either. 'Zoey! Dustin was worried about you, and thus … you shouldn't go to the dance with the next best jerk!'

Zoey shrugged. 'Oh, sorry.'

Megan let Zoey out of the net. 'OK, he needs a new shirt, though … I guess you will design one for him?'

Zoey nodded. 'Of course!' She kissed Dustin lightly on the top of his head. 'Fortunately, the computer has assigned me two partners, Dustin and one Glen Davis …'

'Who is Glen Davis?' wondered Dustin. ' And why did the computer assign two partners?'

Zoey shrugged. 'I don't care. But I want to get to know new pupils, anyways, so it doesn't matter. Have a nice day!' She waved, and walked out.

'And what if Glen is a jerk?' yelled Dustin, when Zoey was almost gone.

Yet this was for no avail.

'We have to investigate who Glen is … and why the computer matched Zoey twice.'

Megan nodded. 'We have to hack into the computer …'

Dustin pondered. 'You're a hacker?'

Megan shook her head. 'I wish … but I know someone from San Diego Belleview who could do that for us!'

Drake and Josh bounded in. 'Aw Megan! Are you at the bottom of that?' They showed her their school dance arrangements.

Megan nodded. 'I've told Wendy the right answers. But that with Quinn is just natural!'

Josh sighed. 'That's OK, but what will Mark do?'

'Don't worry about Mark!' Megan smiled sadistically.

But Drake was still upset. _He and Wendy Gellar? How was that going to end up? OK, Wendy had recently become less of a pest, but still …_

* * *

Megan's door bell rang. She opened for the visitors. 'Hi Craig!'

'Eric,' screamed the visitor. 'My name is Eric!'

'Oops!' Megan smiled. 'OK, Dustin, this is Eric Blonowitz, the smartest head from Belleview!'

Dustin shook Eric's hand. 'You may hack computers?' He beamed.

Megan told Dustin to be quiet. ' Eric loves star observatories and libraries. I've told him that we've got the best of them among all of the schools in California!'

Dustin smiled.

Eric went to Megan's laptop, and started typing away.

Dustin was bored. 'That takes forever …'

Eric grumbled. 'Oops! There we have got it! Someone has stolen the data from Zoey's questionary! This lead to a duplication of Zoey's entry in the database …'

Dustin and Megan stared at each other. They knew who was behind it: _Glen Davis_

The door went open, and Drake and Josh bounded in.

'Megan! I've figured something about Glen Davis …' squealed Josh.

Drake nodded. 'Last term, he bribed a certain Wayne Gilbert to hack into his school's computer. Wayne faked Glen's marks. As a consequence, both Wayne and Glen got fired. Now they are here at PCA!'

Megan clenched her fists. 'He'll pay dearly for that. Come on, Dustin, we can't let that bastard dance with your sister!'

Dustin agreed wholeheartedly with Megan.

Even Drake and Josh thought that Megan was acting reasonably.

'Thanks, I'm done here!' Eric sighed. ' Now I'm off to the star observatory!'

Megan waved at Eric. 'OK, Craig!'

'Oh, Craig and me, we will transfer to this school next year,' announced Eric.

Drake and Josh were suddenly upset. 'Aw Megan!'

Megan shrugged helplessly.

* * *

'That was the funniest event I've ever participated in.' Quinn smiled.

Josh agreed wholeheartedly.

The two of them arrived at Megan's lounge where Josh wanted to fix a root beer.

'But why did Mark not complain?'

'Mark is complaining about something else!' Megan whistled inncently.

'OK.' Josh sighed. 'I'm too tired for now. See you!' He waved at Quinn.

Drake and Wendy bounded in.

'No, Wendy, you mustn't come to my dorm with me!' Drake sighed. Alas, he had enjoyed the party by Wendy's side. She wasn't anymore that much of a stalking fan, but a real admirer.

'Wendy, you've had your fun with Drake. Don't stretch it too far!' Megan beguiled her mate.

Wendy sighed. 'Fun never lasts long enough …'

Zoey bounded in. 'Wow, Quinn, you won't believe it. Glen hasn't arrived at all to our appointment. But, all of a sudden, Chase was there! It was a wonderful dance! Dana has broken Logan's toes, that was perfect. Nicole's date was as talkative as herself. And Michael dated that foreign fun guy.'

Megan chuckled with childish glee.

'Hey! There's Glen!' Ashley pointed Zoey towards a shadowy figure hanging from the ceiling.

Drake told Zoey about what he had come to know about Glen.

Zoey shrugged. 'OK, you may let him plummet down by now!' She grinned mischievously, knowing that Megan had arranged that trap.

Drake cheered. 'OK, Megan, you may now release Mark from the wardrobe you have locked him in,' whispered hewhen Josh was out of sight.

* * *

**Chapter 5 Mystic Beach**

* * *

Megan wrote into her diary:

* * *

This first term has been a lot of fun.

The finals were easy, because Dustin and I have learnt a lot together.

I like a lot spending my time with that supersweet and supersmart guy.

He's so much not like the boobs.

I hope to get closer to him at the Mystic Beach party, a tradition at the PCA.

Drake and Josh have become a bit less obnoxious.

Maybe that's because the other guys here have a good influence on them.

But I still like messing with them a bit.

Yet they laugh about it, too.

So let's party!

Roger and Over!

* * *

'Dern … Dustin, his sister, and her friends have missed the bus!' Megan sobbed silently.

Josh sat down next to Megan — who had obtained the permit to go with Drake's and Josh's class — thus avoiding Mindy. 'Maybe they take a cab or so … Logan Reese can afford it, that's for sure.'

Megan sighed.

Josh was slightly disappointed. _Since Megan had known Dustin, she had turned a lot less obnoxious. Also, Quinn was trapped at PCA._ Josh would have liked to talk to her about his feelings. He hasn't been sure because, officially, Quinn still dated Mark del Figgalo.

Drake smiled after he had squeezed himself joyfully between two hot girls, none of them being Wendy — who had been in the buss for her class. There were going to be many more of them down by the beach.

'Craig and Eric have confirmed their transfer to the PCA,' announced Josh.

Drake sighed. _These were two dorks too many_.

'Oh, I've talked two of my friends to the PCA, too: Janie Wilson [5:1] and Addie Singer[5:2].' Megan beamed. ' For the better or worse, Robby Carmichael[5:3] will also join.'

Drake's face cramped. 'Annoying neighbours' kid Robby?'

Megan shrugged. 'Our mom told his mom about the school, and …'

'OK Megan, it's not your fault!' Josh comforted her. ' If we stick up for each other, he won't be any threat unto us!'

* * *

Finally, the bus halted next to Mystic Beach, the most popular beach of Los Angeles county.

Drake, Josh, and Megan left the bus.

'There's no way I would spread my blanket anywhere near you boobs!' Megan grinned.

Drake and Josh shrugged. They spread their blanket in some sunny location.

'I'm going to queeze myself right between you boobs, so that you can't make any nonsense!' Megan grinned sadistically.

Drake and Josh shrugged.

Mindy walked by.

'Hi creature,' boomed Drake sarcastically.

'Get out of our sun,' Josh commanded Mindy.

Alas, she refused to budge. 'Oh, since when is it just your sun?'

Megan didn't indulge in the ongoing bickering because she observed the beach. 'Attention! Del Figgalo is ahead,' whispered she into Josh's ear.

The elephantine boob recognised Quinn Pensky's official date. 'Oops!'

Josh's face went pale, all of a sudden.

Alas, Mark wasn't up to any dispute, he was more of a silent moaner.

At the same time, Ashley Blake approached Josh and Drake. ' Bring me some soft icecream with carob cover! Exactly 1 mm thin,' Ashley ordered Josh.

Megan pushed her step-brother. 'I'll palm your back with sun blocker, afterwards.'

Josh sighed before he started fulfilling Ashley's wish.

'I need my back palmed with sun blocker oil, too,' moaned Drake.

Megan shrugged. 'OK, boob …. Wendy!' She cried at the top of her lungs. 'I've got a job for you … Drake needs his back anointed!'

Drake liked Wendy. _But did she have to palm his back? She was so talkative._

Megan took a small bottle, and poured it over Drake's back, and then she spilled the same thing over Josh's back when he had cared for Ashley's ice cream. Megan palmed Josh's back, while Wendy palmed Drake's.

Josh purred softly. He had never imagined that getting a back rub from Megan could be so soothing.

Megan was worried because she still had no news from Dustin and Quinn. But she didn't want to have her fun spoilt. 'OK, boobs, I go swimming in the waves for a bit!'

Wendy stayed with Drake. 'Cool, we have some hour for us alone …' She announced.

For Drake, this turned out a lot better than expected.

Then Ashley stepped up to Drake. 'I'm hungry! Catch me a fish!'

'Er what?' Drake scratched his head. 'How am I supposed to do that?'

'Dig a few worms from the sand, use a stick and a string and a hook …!' Ashley chuckled arrogantly.

'No! Drake hasn't got any time left for anyone but me,' insisted Wendy, saving Drake from having to work.

This meant, of course, that nobody but Josh had to do all the work.

'Catch me a fish,' Ashley ordered Josh who, as a junior ranger scout, had got some noteworthy experience with that, but only fishing in streams and ponds, not the Pacific. 'But no tuna! It must be a codfish, no smaller than 2 foot and not older than …'

Josh moaned with dismay, but he followed Ashley's commands because her producer, Malcolm Reese, was a friend of Helen Baxter who owned not only Première Theater in San Diego Belleview, but also the campus cinema of the PCA where Josh had started working for a few weeks. _ One word from Ashley's arrogant tongue, and Josh would pay for his refusal of subordination with further daily torture and humiliation at his job._ He started digging for worms.

Drake smiled noisily. He enjoyed Wendy's attention that has saved him from some disgusting job.

Josh had dug some worms, and tied some string, hook, and stick to a fishing rod . Then he tried his luck. Alas, he wasn't all that lucky: All he dragged ashore were some old clothes and boots.

Drake still rejoiced in in the sun. But, with the passage of the minutes, he felt his back like burning. 'Am I a lump of roast beef, or what?' He whimperedfor pain.

Wendy saw Drake's back.

It kept turning red like a lobster in boiling water.

Megan saw Josh's prey. 'Wow, boob! You've got some taste. Is that your new outfit?' She whistled sarcastically.

'I like it,' replied Josh, albeit hypocritically and with disgust.

'Maybe check what's in the boots?' suggested Megan. She put one of them upside down, making a cod fish drop out of it. She grabbed the fish, and slapped Josh across the face with that twitching thing.

Josh looked downright dumbfounded, but he was happy because Ashley had finally got what she wanted.

Ashley beamed. 'Thanks!'

Then Megan saw Drake's crimson skin. She took an empty bucket that Mark del Figgalo had used in order to build a sand castle, and she filled it with salent water. Then she ran up to Drake, and poured the bucket's contents all over his back. 'Hi boob! You're really hot, so I thought I'd better cool you down!'

Drake whimpered with even more pain.

Then Wendy saw the bottle Megan had used for palming Drake's and Josh's back. 'Sun flower oil?' She looked flabbergasted.

'What? I wanted sun blocker oil,' screamed Drake.

'Sun flower oil … sun blocker oil … ' Megan whistled innocently. 'Sorry, without my sun glasses I may hardly distinguish those few letters.' Her hypocricitcal chuckle went unheard.

'Make me a campfire!' Ashley commanded Josh.

The bigheaded boob was happy that Ashley had condemned him to do some work, thus his back had not been exposed to Californian red hot afternoon sun as much Drake's.

'Oh, Ashley, I have got some way better idea … we don't need a campfire to roast the fish,' suggested Megan.

Josh and Ashley shrugged helplessly.

Megan forced Josh to lie on his belly. Then she took the fish, sliced it up, and placed the halves on Josh's back, using the latter as a sort of frying pan.

Drake chuckled then Josh screamed with pain. He purred joyfully when cheering Wendy peeled the first scraps of burnt skin off his own aching back.

'Good boob!' Megan petted Josh after the end of the torture. ' As a reward, you may get the biggest piece of the fish!'

Josh purred softly. _Megan could be so mean, but sometimes she made up for it._

Jack reached the group who was just enjoying the fish. 'Hey! Dustin just called me. They have taken a wrong turn, and they were stuck at a barren beach without cell access.'

Megan sighed. 'Poor Dustin!'

Jack nodded. 'He lost his swimming pants in the sea … finally, Quinn increased the range of their cell phones, making it possible to contact Mr. Bender who is now going to pick them from the middle of the land of nowhere.'

'Quinn has to tell me how she did that …' squealed Josh.

* * *

'OK, Dustin, we've bought you some pair of new bathing pants! Those of the boobs were too small for you, and they stink, otherwise …' Megan sighed, seconded by Jack and Max.

Dustin smiled, happy to have his friends back. 'Not a problem. We'll enjoy a day down by beach later on …'

Megan, Wendy, Jack, Megan, and Max grinned merrily.

Quinn started peeling off Josh's spoilt skin . 'It smells fishy,' she remarked, chuckling. Then she licked the wounds on his back softly, making Josh moan and purr.

'Megan should do that more often!' Josh smiled emphatically.

Mark grumbled jealously when he saw Quinn and Josh. But he was too much of a chicken to say anything.

Drake took his guitar, and started playing a new song, just for Wendy. _This hadbeen his best day at the new school, his flaming back notwithstanding._ He also didn't complain about having missed out on the many hot babes that were at the beach but didn't dare to talk to him because of Wendy's vicinity. _That's because Wendy, unlike his anonymous girlsfriends, actually cared about him as a friend, and was not going to let him down when his beds were burning._

'One last thing before we return to Belleview for the vacations,' yelled Megan.

Josh and Drake wondered what that could be.

Megan grabbed Drake and Josh into a group hug and told Zoey to take a pic of it. 'Cheese! For mom!'

* * *

**Chapter 6 New Students**

* * *

Drake and Josh didn't want to let Craig and Eric know that they were deeming them as a burden.

This was made harder when they read their sheets.

Mrs. Burvich, the boarding manager, told them, 'OK, it seems that the four of you are going to share a dorm that is usually meant for three students.'

Craig and Eric smiled.

Drake and Josh stood behind the freaks.

'Er … yeah, that's fine!' Josh plastered a fake smile while grumbling and grudging deep inside.

Drake wanted to protest against that decision, but he felt Josh's fingers in his mouth, preventing him from saying anything.

Megan smiled because she was once more together with Wendy Gellar and Ashley Blake, while her friend Janie Wilson was accomodated in the room just across the hall, her roommates being Sandy and Katie Baldwin[6:1].

Addie Singer, who was older than Megan, but younger than the boobs, had been assigned to a room with two students she wasn't yet familiar with. One of them was Trisha Kirby[6:2], who was known as a recklessly promiscuous tomboy.

* * *

Dustin entered room 153. 'Hi girls! Zoey has got a new roomie! Her name is Lola Martinez, she seems to be sort of an actress …'

'A poor excuse of an actress!' Ashley judged her colleague sternly.

Megan wondered what happened to Nicole or Dana.

Dustin explained that Dana was supposed to have moved to France or something.

'OK, Megan, time to take me to the cafeteria,' Ashley ordered Megan.

Wendy looked dumbfounded.

Megan sighed. 'It's below Ashley's dignity to walk across the campus on her own feet, thus I'm dragging her around in a sort of chariot. She pays me for this …'

Dustin nodded. ' I'm doing some slave jobs for Logan who pays me as well!'

Wendy shook her head. 'I would do anything like that for Drake, even without payment!'

Dustin and Megan looked oddly at Wendy.

Thereafter, Megan and Ashley bounded out.

'OK, seeya!' Dustin smiled. _Logan provided him with the money he needed for gummi worms and more._

Jack came along. 'Aw, I so knew that you would hang out in here!' He grinned.

Dustin chuckled. 'OK, off to Logan, I have to fetch him something from the lounge …'

'And off she is …' Janie sighed deeply.

'And you are?' Dustin and Jack wondered simultaneously.

'Oh, Janie Wilson.' Janie grinned. 'Megan told you about me, if you are some of the guys Megan has told me about …'

Dustin and Jack introduced themselves.

After this, the four of them trotted off into the cafeteria.

* * *

After a long day, Josh, Drake, Craig, and Eric had made it into the cafeteria. They figured that Quinn, Zoey, and Nicole were sitting next to a new — and rather hot — girl.

Drake, Craig, and Eric glared into the direction of the new one.

'Oh, I think I know who that is,' whispered Josh.

Drake, Craig, and Eric urged Josh to tell them more.

'I've seen her at a première party at Helen's theatre. She has been a side character in _Elementary School Musical_,' explained Josh. 'Her name is Lola.'

Drake took his guitar, and started singing.

* * *

Her name name was Lola  
She was a show girl  
With yellow feathers in her hair  
And her dress cut down to there[6:3]

* * *

Craig and Eric didn't lose any time singing. They stepped up to Lola.

Eeric asked Lola, 'hey doll, do you want to listen to a few jokes?', then he started to demonstrate his dry humour that could not fascinate any girl.

'Hey, who are those disgusting geeks?' Lola screamed with despair.

Drake couldn't watch it. He took his guitar, and bashed the back of Eric's head, making him slump ungracefully to the ground.

Zoey shrugged. _That went a bit too fast …_

Quinn walked away when she saw Josh. She wanted to tell him about the chemical experiments she had performed during the summer break.

Nicole screamed painfully.

Craig and Eric were apparently the most uncute boys she had ever come to see.

Lola looked up. 'Drake Parker?' She smiled ecstatically.

Drake nodded and smiled.

'Thanks! You are my hero. I'm Lola Martinez. I want to win Oscar's before the age of 20.' Lola beamed.

'Oh … maybe we can win it together?' Drake smiled. You for the best female main star, I for the best theme …

'Well, that depends …' Lola grinned. ' Whether you are a good kisser or not …'

Drake grabbed Lola for a passionate kiss which answered her question beyond any doubt.

Nicole's eyes bugged out. She fainted down to extreme jealousy. _ Drake had hardly taken notice of her during the whole last term, and Lola just needed to smile a bit and — boom… that was no good!_

Zoey recognised what Nicole had probly been about going through, and she held her back. 'You can't do anything. There are more cute boys than just Drake …'

Nicole sighed deeply. _That was so injust._

Wendy Gellar saw the whole thing as well. _ How did Lola dare to wrap herself around Drake just like a boa constrictor?_ She was not all that jealous, but she was not yet sure whether Lola was the right one for Drake. She had to examine her worthiness before she was going to be able to approve of their relationship. _A few tough tests were in front of Lola._ Also, Wendy better reported back to Megan, as it was the future happiness of Megan's elder brother that was at stake.

Josh sighed deeply. He had seen Drake making out with many girls, but the look in his eyes when he approached Lola Martinez for the first time … that look was very special and unique. Josh couldn't help it.

Dustin saw Josh. 'Hi, elephant! Logan has built a new video game station into your lounge, do you want to …'

Josh shook his head. 'I have got to do some gym with Quinn.'

Dustin shrugged. 'OK …'

* * *

When Wendy filed her report about the kiss between Lola and Drake unto Megan, she was very excited. Megan had seen Drake making out with many girls, and it was not easy to convince her into thinking that there was something different in the case of Lola. 'But thanks, anyways! You may never be careful enough … someday, I'll wake up and have to call some dumb girl my sister in law, just because I haven't done anything … right, I need to observe the situation!'

Ashley was present as well. She worried that Drake and his affection for Lola was going to be able to fuel the latter's ambitions for Hollywood. ' Hence, Lola was no longer some insignificant little rival for Ashley, but she had the potential to pass ahead of her in no time, if she was seen together with Drake at the right time in the right places.' Ashley figured that she had to do something about it, _but what?_

* * *

**Chapter 7 Insomnia**

* * *

The first nights of sharing a dorm with Craig and Eric had been totally stressy for Drake and Josh.

Craig and Eric were very freaky and insensitive. They trampled on Drake's and Josh's nerves without noticing that something had been wrong.

Josh was known for his unbreakable sleep, but with Craig and Eric in his dorm, he had hardly got the occasion to fall asleep in the first place.

Eric used to snort like a chainsaw, and he talked while sleeping.

Craig was not much better. He often stood up in the middle of the night and looked out the window, singing _Beautiful Dreamer_.

* * *

Beautiful Dreamer, awaken to me!  
Starlight and dew drops are waiting for thee.

* * *

This song was going to be more and more of a burden for Drake's mood, making him throw up in the middle of the night.

* * *

Megan, Ashley, and Wendy sat down for breakfast in the cafeteria.

'Oh my god!' Megan coughed. 'The sleepy boobs are coming!'

Wendy looked up. 'Oh no! Drake really looks like a sloth …' She sobbed.

Drake and Josh sat down by the table next to Lola, Zoey, Nicole, and Quinn.

To Drake's surprise, the girls had not found their way into the daylight, either.

Lola explained that Quinn had problems with her nose.

And the walls were very thin …

Zoey remarked that she had to separate her roomies because they had bickered over Drake once Quinn had woken them.

'I'm now moving in with Quinn.' declared Nicole, sneering at Lola.

'Good riddance!' replied Lola.

Zoey took a squirting bottle, and squirted Lola and Nicole.

Drake didn't feel in the slightest way embarassed.

'Let's invent something against your insomnia?' suggested Josh unto Quinn, making her cheer enthusiastically.

Zoey told them that she had finally finished her movie about her life at this school for the time capsule, a class project where the pupils left something in a capsule for the next generation to discover.

Lola declared that she didn't prepare anything. 'In twenty years, people who want to know about me simply watch my movies!'

Ashley heard that. and stomped violently. ' No way, Lola Martinez! They will all look up to me!'

Lola squealed.

Drake glared at Ashley. 'Leave my honey in peace!'

Megan calmed Ashley down.

Drake was convinced that Lola was totally right. ' Yeah, for the same reason, all people need to know about me are my songs.'

Lola kissed Drake flightily.

Now it was Wendy's turn to cough noisily.

Nicole was about going to puke.

* * *

Dustin snuck into Megan's room. 'Hi girls!'

'What's up?' Megan smiled.

'Chase is so desperate to know what Zoey has been saying about him, in her video. But my sis refuses to tell him!' Dustin sighed.

'A case for Eric's hacking skills!' Megan whistled innocently.

Dustin remembered when they broke into the school computer, just before the last school dance. 'That will be cool!'

* * *

Finally, Eric Blonowitz had done it again.

Dustin, Jack, Max, Megan, and Wendy looked anxiously.

'By the way … Lola did actually get away with it …' Dustin squealed. 'She excused herself by feigning that she had wanted to contribute her deceased grammie's locket, but that she couldn't because of all the memories attached.'

'Wow!' Megan's eyes bugged out.

'She broke into tears, in front of the whole class and Mr. Bender …' continued Dustin.

Ashley listened carefully. _Lola was obviously much better an actress than she had ever imagined._ Ashley's situation became increasingly sticky. _The tide went higher and higher._ She felt pressed hard by Lola's competition. Obviously, she needed to do something about that if she wanted to be awarded an Oscar before Lola Martinez.

Megan pushed the button, letting the others watch.

Zoey had just talked about Quinn and Nicole. 'And then there is someone special: Chase Matthews. He was one of the first pupils that I've come to meet here. He was so sweet when he fell from the bicycle, right upon seeing me for the first time and running into some flag post. We have become best friends very soon thereafter.'

The suspense among the viewers increased.

'Alas …' Zoey sighed. 'I really want to leave it as it is, for dates never last long, especially not at our age, and then Chase will get bored and look for the next girl, and I'm going to be nothing more than one of his ex-dates. That would be very sad. It's for the better of both Chase and me to keep up the status quo, no more and no less!'

Dustin sighed and moaned when he heard that. _ Was the picture as Zoey had painted it really inevitable? It didn't leave him at ease, he really wished for his elder sister to be able to both have her cake and eat it. But even more, Zoey sounded like speaking about boys and girls in general. In other words, it was also a lesson about Dustin and any girlfriend he might ever have had. And this lesson was not an optimistic one._ He started sobbing. Was he going to bore the girls or get bored by them that fast? Alas, he didn't say anything to the girls and his roomies. He kept his doubts about boys and girls to himself.

Ashley boiled with envy when she heard Zoey calling Lola an aspiring star actress. She was close to going over the edge.

Wendy wondered. 'Should we tell Chase about it?' She thought that she was really anxious to hear what Drake had to say about her, thus she could imagine how Chase must have been feeling.

'It will hurt him,' feared Megan. 'No, it will effectively kill him!'

Wendy sighed deeply. She could understand that. Not too long ago, she was about going to suicide when Drake told her that he had not been in love with her.

* * *

Chase couldn't sleep that night. He desperately wished to know what Zoey had said about him. Thus he woke up Michael. ' If you love me, you will follow me, and we'll dig out the time capsule!'

Michael was dismayed, but Chase had been his best friend for over three years. He yawned, and followed Chase across the campus yard.

Hard rain was pouring down from the sky above Malibu, almost causing some sort of deluge.

Alas, Chase and Michael were not alone.

'Hi Chase! Michael!' yelled Quinn at the boys. She was walking through the rain, along with Josh.

Chase gasped. 'What are you doing here?'

Josh twitched. 'We could ask you the same …'

'We just can't sleep,' moaned Chase.

'Chase can't, but I …' squealed Michael.

Chase kicked Michael's shins, forcing him to keep quiet.

'We can't either,' moaned Josh moaned, and he twitched even more. 'That's why Quinn and I, we have brewed a medication against insomnia. We're going to take it … now!'

Quinn nodded. 'You want some, too?'

'Er … yes,' moaned Chase. He poked Michael into agreeing.

The four of them each sipped from some bubbly, slimy, and steamy potion.

Less then a minute later … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

They could not help going to sleep on the muddy, dirty gound until dawn.

* * *

**Chapter 8 Electorial Campaign**

* * *

Mrs. Bromwell, homeroom teacher for the sophomores, had collected her classes in the Aula Magna of the class hall. ' You're going to elect your class president. Any suggestions?'

Drake stood up. 'I suggest Joshua Nichols!'

Josh twitched like an eel. He was much too nervous for such a serious office. Thus he stared oddly at Drake. _How could he?_

Mrs. Bromwell nodded. 'OK, does anyone support this suggestion? Anyone?'

Eric Blonowitz raised his hand.

'OK, Craig.' Mrs. Bromwell was now expecting other suggestions.

'Eric! My name is Eric,' boomed Blonowitz.

Mrs. Bromwell ignored Eric.

Josh waited anxiously for another canditate to be issued, whereupon he could simply flunk the elections.

Craig stood up. 'I suggest Mindy Crenshaw!'

Drake and Josh were consternated. _Anyone, but not Mindy!_

Calvin, the owner of the coffee cart, stood up. ' I support Mindy Crenshaw! She has once repaired my javaccino machine! Now it gives thrice as much coffe in the same time …'

Mrs. Bromwell wasn't interested in the details, she just registered the fact that there were two canditates up and running for the office: Josh Nichols and Mindy Crenshaw.

Josh had gone through a change of mind like a bursting mine. He had wanted to flunk, but not against Mindy, never! ' She had beaten him in so many things, she can't beat him up to there, never ever!' 'Drake, do you want to be my campaign manager?'

'Me?' Drake chuckled. ' I can't even manage my own life, so how could I …'

Josh sighed with despair. _Lacking a decent manager was going to make his mission impossible._

'Hey Josh,' boomed Mindyviciously. ' Which loser will manage your campaign?'

Josh sighed.

'May I present you my manager …' Mindy grinned. ' This is Miles Brody, the local mega-nerd![8:1] He knows everything about everyone at the PCA!'

Miles Brody gave — with an arrogant and monotonous voice — a report about Drake's and Josh's life.

The boobs were thoroughly intimidated.

* * *

Megan was lying on her bed, and heard music with her G.O.

'Drake's music?' asked Wendy. She recognised that, Megan's usage of earcuffs notwithstanding.

Megan was embarassed. 'Er …' She liked Drake's music, but didn't want him to know that.

Wendy chuckled. 'OK, I think it's cool that Janie is going to be our class president. Nobody dares to run against her!'

Megan grinned because she had spread subtle threats against anyone who dared to oppose Janie.

Drake and Josh bounded in. They looked pretty much desperate because of the electorial campaign. They told Megan and Wendy about it.

Megan shook her head. ' Aw boobs! Why would anyone want to vote for Josh?' _ On the other hand, the alternative was Mindy Crenshaw?_ ' OK, I'll manage your campaign!' She had never dared to imagine that she might do that, but she couldn't leave the office up to Mindy!

Wendy grumbled. ' Why didn't Drake get suggested? I'd manage him voluntarily!'

Her eyes beamed like a pair of diamonds in the red hot desert sun.

Megan sighed. 'Boob vs. boob … not a bad idea …' _ Unfortunately, Mindy would have inevitably been going to be the laughing third._

Drake shook his head. 'Yeah, why not?'

Josh banged his head against the wall. _But it wasn't yet too late, he could still submit a suggestion._

Dustin bounded in, sighing deeply. ' Chase has suggested Zoey, and vice versa. But fact is, they don't really wish to compete against each other. Now Logan seems to abuse the situation and finance Chase's campaign at any cost …'

'Free berry smoothies,' yelled Ashley across the hallway. ' Chase distributes them! Logan hired me for a clip for Chase's campaign …'

Megan shrugged. ' They really shouldn't compete. Both of them really want the other to win, …'

* * *

'Please, don't keep Chase from retiring from the elections,' Megan begged Zoey, leaving her dumbfounded. ' Chase is yet too weak to free himself from Logan Reese, and in the end, you will just make Logan stronger!'

Zoey coughed and choked. _Who was Megan to intervene? But the little girl was right, maybe … no, definitely!_ Zoey sighed. ' OK, you've got me. Thanks! I can't allow Logan to treat everyone as his marionettas. If only Dana had not gone, she would have kept him at bay.'

Megan smiled because she had saved the friendship between Zoey and Chase, and she had prevented Logan from becoming even more powerful.

* * *

Wendy grinned upon her return to Room 153. ' OK, Josh has suggested Drake, with support from some Mandy Franklin.'

Megan frowned with disgust. 'Makeout Mandy? The cheerleader?[8:2] Yikes!' She had got Chase to resign, but now she had to deal with Drake and Josh competing, or, rather, it was Wendy and Megan … and Mindy was just right there, waiting for humiliating both of them!

Josh came stumbling in. 'Megan!' He twitched nervously. ' Would you be very disappointed if …'

'What's up, boob?' Megan stared grimly at Josh.

Josh sighed and twitched even more. 'I've seen Drake on the campus, with Lola sitting on his lap, and praising Drake's superior qualities …' Josh kept on twitching. 'They are so cute. Would you mind me resigning?'

Megan was actually very glad, as she could now channel all energies against Mindy. But she didn't let Josh know that. 'What? You lousy no-good-for-anything-at-all loser!' She hid her grin.

Josh shrugged sadly.

Megan didn't want to hurt him. She stepped up to Josh, and wrapped her arms around his big belly. 'Aw you boob! I'm going to respect your decision, but don't get accustomed to that!' She beamed brightly. 'Now both of us may support Drake's campaign.'

Josh agreed wholeheartedly.

Wendy grumbled when she heard about Lola's way of supporting Drake.

Ashley's fear of Lola's competition was growing rapidly.

* * *

Finally, the day of the elctions had come.

Zoey cheered. 'What a landslide!'

Chase and Michael congratulated their friend, followed by Megan and Dustin.

Logan pouted, and sulked in a corner. After Chase had retired, he had stuffed thousands of bucks into a campaign to support the only remaining male canditate, Mark del Figgalo, whom he really hated and ridiculed, just in order to prevent that a girl might win the elections.

But dull Del Figgalo stood no chance against brilliant and lively Zoey Brooks.

Alas, the suspense increased when Dean Rivers had to announce the outcome of the elections for the class of Drake and Josh. 'And the winner is … Drake Parker!'

Mindy was deeply ashamed. She had given the longest and most intellectually demanding speech any electorial canditate had ever given, while Drake had just been sitting there with Lola on his lap. _That was incredible!_

Wendy was glad about it, even if this meant that she had to tolerate Lola more than she had wanted to.

Ashley issued a red alert. _Lola was about passing above Ashley in the upcoming Hollywood polls. That was no good at all!_

* * *

**Chapter 9 Halloween**

* * *

The first months of the year had gone by like nothing, and Al Halloween was ahead.

'The older students use to build a haunted house in order to scare us kids ,' announced Dustin. 'This is an old tradition in here.'

'Last year, I've totally watered my pants …' Max remembered with disgust.

Megan was close to having to throw up at the thought. ' This year, we will tilt the tide, and scare the boobs into the next century!' She boomed vigorously. 'Who is in charge with the haunted hut?'

Jack told them that it was Logan's task.

Ashley sniffled noisily. _Halloween … the day when the kids were dressing. That was something like acting._ She just had to take it a bit further.

Dustin explained that Logan had promised to deal unto them the shock of their life! He trembled with dismay.

Megan's eyes gleamed. She couldn't tolerate Logan's perverted and decadent arrogance, and hence she had to do something about it.

Ashley had got a brilliant idea.

Lola was off for the Halloween week in order to do some shootings for some commercial, a pretty cheap commercial that had never been able to compete with her wonderful movies.

But as Lola had been gaining a lot of ground, as of lately, Ashley was urged to do something — _in front of the eyes of nobody else than Logan Reese, the son of Malcolm Reese, the most brilliant Hollywood producer ever!_

* * *

Josh was sad. 'Quinn is going to dress as Albert Einstein …' He twitched and sighed deeply.

'As what?' Drake wondered, shrugging with utter ignorance. He wasn't interested in Halloween anyways, as he felt having grown up too much.

Josh twitched and grumbled angrily. 'Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist ever!'

Drake didn't care. 'And so what?'

Josh sobbed. 'I wanted to go as Einstein! Now it would be lame if we both do that …'

Mindy walked by. 'I know what you could dress like …'

'Creature!' Drake grumbled. 'Who cares about your misguided opinion?'

Mindy glared at Drake in a malevolent manner. 'My proposal is for Josh to dress as … a brainless dork.'

Josh twitched with dismay.

'Oh wait …' Mindy objected to her own suggestion. 'Too bad you don't have to dress at all for that role … as you already are a brainless dork!'

Josh was close to jumping over the edge.

Drake grabbed Josh and pulled him away. 'The creature just wants to provocate, let's go elsewhere …'

Josh relaxed.

'OK, so if Quinn dresses as the greatest scientist, how about you dress as the greatest female scientist?' Drake had no idea about female scientists, but he just had to say something in order to get Josh up on his feet again.

Josh scratched his head and twitched. 'Who would that be?'

Drake shrugged. 'Oprah Winfrey?'

Josh twitched again. He laughed manically. 'She would be great, but she's no scientist … unfortunately.'

Drake shrugged helplessly.

* * *

Finally, it was Halloween.

Logan had gathered a few helpers and the kids of the lower grades for his haunted mansion.

Zoey was dressed as Marilyn Monroe.

Chase was dressed as a vampire, but he had not been convincing at all. Everyone believed him to be a magician of some sorts.

Dustin wondered. 'Where is Nicole?'

Zoey sighed. 'She's dressed as Dorothy from the _Wizard of Oz_ [9:1] , but I guess she's hunting for a bunch of cute boys in disguise.'

Dustin was in company of his friend Jack.

Logan announced that it will be the biggest horror that they have ever faced, and they will hardly ever face more of it for the rest of their life.

Megan was a bit late. 'Sorry!' Then she saw Chase. 'What a boob magician.'

Jack and Janie remarked that Chase was thinking of himself as being dressed as a vampire.

Megan was close to falling through the roof laughing. She wasn't dressed in any way, but she had got an idea. She snuck up to Chase, grimaced, and made a scary sound.

Chase turned around in no time. His face froze. 'A … v … a … m … p … i … r … e …' He stammered and stuttered with utter dismay.

Megan grinned, as if ready to jump and bite Chase.

'Heeeeeelp!' Chase cried with despair. 'Please, vampire, don't hurt me …' He trembled with agony. ' My blood is spoilt with sugar balls … sugar is very bad for vampires …' He pressed himself into the next corner. From there, he had no way to escape Megan. 'Please! I'll never claim to be a vampire again! I'm not even a vampire now, I'm a magician … you hear it … a magician …'

Zoey giggled insanely about Chase.

Megan grabbed Chase and threatened to sink her fangs into Chase's throat. 'Roarrrr!'

Chase said his last prayers. He was close to talking about Zoey.

Knowing what Zoey had told in her video about her future with Chase, Megan didn't want Chase to get disappointed by Zoey's likely reaction. Thus she relaxed. In addition, she really didn't want to lick Chase's skin. 'Bleh, boob skin!' She turned away from Chase.

Logan stared oddly at Chase. 'It's our task to scare the kids, not vice versa!' Then he announced that the true horrors were still to come.

'I'm a diva! You can't scare me!' Ashley boomed. She was going to be escorted through the horror hall by Megan.

Logan opened the door to the next room where a bunch of animated monsters were awaiting.

Most of the kids squealed.

Ashley reacted worse. She screamed like a fury, then she floundered, staggered, reeled, and slumped mercilessly down to the floor.

Logan was consternated. Had he gone too far? One of the kids had collapsed, and it was all his fault. He bowed over Ashley's lifeless body. 'Ashley? Are you …'

There was no reply.

Zoey called Dr. Glazer, the new school medic.

Megan added that Drake was going to pay the bill.

* * *

Out on the campus, Quinn met a bigheaded guy who wore braids and dark-framed glasses. 'Hey, you remind me of someone …' She scratched her head.

Josh sighed. 'I'm dressed as you …' He sobbed. Then he explained what Drake had suggested. 'And the greatest female scientist ever, in my opinion, that is …'

Quinn shed a few tears of awe. 'Oh Joshie …' She couldn't help jumping at him and kissing him on the cheeks.

* * *

Dr. Glazer riddled for several minutes.

Logan had fainted and was still as stiff as a block of stone. 'Is she … d-e-a-d?' Now everyone was going to hate him for having killed an aspiring Hollywood star.

Dr. Glazer shrugged. 'OK, how is Drake Parker going to pay the 100 bucks that are due? Cash or …'

In this moment, Ashley jumped up. 'Acting!' She beamed.

Logan still couldn't believe it. That was even way more convincing than Lola's performance in front of Mr. Bender. He moaned in awe. Then he couldn't help huggling Ashley.

Ashley smiled sweetly.

* * *

**Chapter 10 The Skunk**

* * *

Megan hated chemistry classes, not because she had any substantial problem there, but just because Josh wanted to become a teacher for chemistry, and she enjoyed teasing him for that. She knew enough about science to make Josh's life miserable, alas, she wouldn't have admitted to her knowledge.

Today, laboratory classes were scheduled. Megan was partnered with Janie. They sat right behind Jack and Dustin.

Janie had a crush on Jack, which Megan had already sensed, but it was still kept secret, at least for the time being. As a result, Janie spent much of her time in class with staring at Jack. This reduced her attentivity to zilch, and Megan had to intervene on occasions, just to prevent some fatal stuff.

Alas, there was one girl, a particularly dumb and perverse wench named Trisha Kirby, who loved violating security rules on purpose, endangering health and life of everyone without a miniscule trace of remorse.

Mr. Granger, the teacher for science, noticed that Trisha had been a pest. Henry , Trisha's current partner, was scared to hell by Trisha's recklessness.'OK, Dustin, you will be Trisha's new partner!' Dustin was deemed the most careful of all pupils of the class. whence that decision. 'And I'm away for the rest of the day, and a student teacher is going to sub for me. Josh Nichols should be here any moment. Don't touch your chemicals until he is here and tells on you!' Mr. Granger waved and walked out of the laboratory.

Josh Nichols? Oh no! Megan choked and coughed, unnoticed by lovesick Janie. There were rules against teaching relatives at the PCA, but maybe they did not hold for step brothers, or it had gone by unnoticed as Josh held a surname different form Megan's. Whatever, that was very bad! For the classmates were nowe probably going to hate Megan when Josh tortured them.

Dustin was a bit scared when he changed places with Henry.

Trisha didn't care about Mr. Granger's absence, and she started mixing stuff.

Dustin tried to talk a grain of sense into Trisha, but she shrugged and laughed. 'Explosions are fun!' Then she approached Dustin suggestively. 'How's the chemistry between us?'

Megan's eyes bugged out. Was Trisha flirting with her Dustin? Uhm, why did she think of Dustin as hers? She had never asked him about dating, neither vice versa. She blushed deeply. Whatever, Megan's blood started boiling from jealousy. She had to do something about it.

Finally Josh arrived.

For the better or worse of Megan, the makeout scene between Dustin and Trisha was interrupted.

Sandy and Katie grumbled. They knew that Josh was probably very demanding.

Josh distributed a few books.

'_Introduction into Molecular Chemistry_, Second Tome, by J. Reese? [10:1]'

Megan's eyes bugged out. Was that Dr. Reese related to Logan? She threw up. It was too much for her: Trisha flirting with Dustin, Josh torturing her classmates with advanced chemistry, and the possibility of science-hater Logan being related to a great scientist!

Josh noticed that something was wrong with Megan, and he gave her a pass for the toilets. He was happy when that pest was gone from his class. He had not known in advance that it was her class he had been going to teach.

* * *

Megan puked thrice. Then she got her cellular phone ready. What could she do about Dustin flirting with Trisha? She pushed the buttons. 'Hi Zoey, this is Megan Parker … no, the classes are not over. But it's urgent … Dustin is making out with Trisha Kirby, the disgrace of the whole school!'

Zoey had no clue why Megan was concerned, but she agreed: Trisha flirting with Dustin was not tolerable, given the miserable influence she had on him.

Alas, Megan felt like a traitor. And she was going to feel even worse when she realised what assignments Josh was about giving her class.

* * *

Megan was lying like sick on her bed.

Wendy moaned. 'Your bighead brother is insane, and many pupils start hating you for what he does … we have to help him and Quinn develop a formula for removing malodorous stenches from body and clothes, and for that avail, we need to read that book about advanced chemistry by J. Reese … like Logan?'

Megan sighed. 'I've thought of that …' On the other hand, Josh and Quinn were about inventing something useful … maybe he was not that bad a teacher?

Wendy started researching through the interweb.

Drake bounded in. 'Megan? Wendy?'

Wendy beamed. 'Drake! You're here for me?'

Drake shook his head. 'Josh told me that Megan is sick.'

Megan sobbed. She told Drake what had been going on.

'You're very concerned about Dustin?' Drake wondered.

Megan blushed deeply.

Drake sat down, next to Megan, and ruffled her hair playfully. Usually, she would have been upset and angry, but now, she didn't care, so Drake knew how she was indisposed. 'If Trisha is such a slut, as you think, she'll soon have someone else … and you're there to comfort Dustin.'

'But now he must think that I'm a traitor!' Megan sobbed.

Drake shrugged carelessly.

Wendy squealed. 'I've found it! Dr. J. Reese, retired teacher at Caltech, is the grandfather of Logan Reese! And Drake, you won't make out with that whore, will you?'

Drake and Megan were astonished.

Megan decided to keep the information secret and use it against the head jerk in the appropriate moment.

Janie walked in. 'Hi! I've made our assignments for chemistry on my own … I've heard that Michael and Logan had an encounter with a skunk, so I've looked up the formula for the skunk's odorific substance …'

Megan cheered. Then she prepared to find the formula for the corresponding deodorificant, and test the substance on the victims of the skunk.

* * *

Zoey tried to talk some sense into Dustin. Down to Megan's early alert, she had had enough time to prepare her crucial confrontation with her beloved little brother.

'Which traitor told you about Trisha and me?' Dustin thundered when he noticed that Zoey was aware of Trisha's attempts.

Zoey shook her head. 'Those aren't traitors, but people who like you and don't want you to get hurt by a girl as loose as an untied shoe. You might become a dad at the age of 12, and never get to see your kid … '

'What?' Dustin jumped up. He didn't want to end up in such a manner.

Zoey sighed. 'It isn't common knowledge, but she switches boys faster than her undergarments, and she seduces them recklessly.'

Dustin sighed. 'Sorry, I've thought dating an older girl that already had other boyfriends was a cool thing, and I'd get admired for that …'

'Not by your true friends, sorry, bro!' Zoey sighed. She hugged her little brother.

Dustin moaned. Then they saw Trisha making out with Mark del Figgalo, confirming their knowledge about the particularly loose girl.

* * *

**Chapter 11 The Webshow**

* * *

Megan lay on her bed, watching something on her laptop.

Wendy and Ashley bounded in. 'What's up?'

Megan beamed. 'A cool webshow by Chase Matthews and Michael Barret!'

'You watch that?' Wendy wondered. 'According to the daily Stingray, this is the lamest thing ever … only 9 viewers …'

Megan shrugged helplessly. 'I like it, especially these cartoons!' She beamed when she watched Chase and Michael as cartoon figures.

Ashley shrugged. 'OK, but after you've watched it, you have to do some errands for me …'

Megan moaned a bit.

* * *

After having done slavejobs for her roomie, Megan had fetched the boys from 256 and dragged them to the room of Chase, Michael, and Logan.

Chase was desperate. 'Only 9 viewers!'

'Wow! There are nine losers at this school?' Logan remarked sadistically.

Megan was upset at Logan's remark. 'I like your cartoons, and so do Dustin, Max, and Jack!'

The boys nodded.

Michael shrugged. 'See, Chase? People like us!'

'Those bastards from Daily Stingray …' Megan gazed mischievously …'I could do some bad things to them … very bad!'

Dustin applauded for Megan.

Megan cheered.

Logan grinned satanically. 'OK, I'm now leaving you sad losers alone, and I'm going to watch some gory action stunt!'

Michael and Chase were preparing the next webshow. Unfortunately, they were not very proficient with computers.

Chase sighed. 'We won't get anywhere! Even Zoey isn't convinced of us …'

Megan scratched her head. 'Hey … I've got an idea …'

'Please!' Chase awaited Megan's details.

Megan told them that she had run her own website. 'Craig and Eric have helped me a bit with the technical part. But I think Quinn could do that even better …'

'Yeah! We need a tech producer!' Michael beamed. 'Where is Quinn?'

'She's preparing some medications for Nicole …' Chase remarked. 'Poor Nicole can't concentrate on school when all those cute boys are around. That's terrific.'

'Has she already tried hypnosis?' Max asked.

Chase shook his head. 'Quinn has thought of it, Lola had even suggested the same, but Nicole doesn't trust Lola any longer since the latter dates Drake.'

'Aw, my boob is just like this, he can't help it …' Megan chuckled mischievously. 'But before you fetch Quinn … There's something else you could learn from my website …'

Chase and Michael had there ears widely opened.

Megan sat down next to Michael's laptop and told him to go to meganparkerDOTcom. 'Ah, the site still exists … well, I should update it sometimes …' She clicked a bit around. 'Watch this, a prank that I've pulled on Josh while he was asleep! Addie has assisted me.[11:1] I've made many of these …'

Chase and Michael fell out of their chairs and rolled on the floor laughing. It took them a few minutes to recover.

'Josh just sleeps like this …' She smiled. 'And I've got more movies about the boobs, similar to this one.'

Chase and Michael glared at each other.

'What I want to say is … ' Megan snickered noisily. 'You may take these video clips and show them in your webcast!'

'Really?' Michael beamed … 'That would be …'

'Fantastic!' Chase cheered. 'The Chase&Michael Show is saved!'

Megan highfived with the older boys, while Dustin and his roomies bounced merrily around the room.

* * *

Quinn and Josh were happily working on their new potion against distraction. They mixed various liquids. The result bubbled noisily and changed colour.

'OK, let me test it on Mark …' Quinn suggested,

'I don't think he gets distracted by anything …' Josh replied.

Quinn sighed. 'Too true! And if I test it on Dustin, Zoey is going to kill me …'

'I'll try it …' Josh took a vial and emptied it in one swipe. 'Not that I'm usually distracted easily, especially not wheen asleeep, but …'

'OK, do you feel relaxed? Vigorous?' Quinn started recording.

Suddenly the door opened.

'Hey Josh!' Drake boomed vigorously.

Josh concentrated on the recipe of his potion and didn't notice Drake.

'Don't you notice that you're disturbing?' Quinn yelled at Drake. 'Get your jerk ass out of this room!'

Drake was upset. 'Hey! I happen to live in this dorm!'

Quinn shook her head. 'But as long as I and Josh are performing scientific experiments, this room is jerk-free zone!'

Drake didn't give up. 'Don't you watch the Chase and Michael show?'

Josh couldn't get distracted by whatever Drake said.

Quinn clicked on the page of Michael's and Chase's show, just for peace's sake. 'OK, here we are … hey, isn't that … Josh?'

Drake nodded. c Michael and Chase were showing a video clip about Josh moderasting a weather forecast. He had been sweating all over, and he twitched like a dead fish. [11:2]

Quinn's eyes bugged out. 'That's horrible!' She looked at Josh. 'Not your twitching, but, showing it on the web! Who would do that?'

'Megan!' Drake thundered. 'She had already posted it on her own home page, but persuading Michael and Chase into following her example is the top of the glacier …'

Josh still didn't care.

Quinn scratched her head. 'Hey, Josh hasn't twitched once since he drank the potion! Before that, he had twitched thrice a minute …'

Drake growled. 'You do what? Test potions on Josh?' But actually, Drake was happy when the twitching attacks were all but gone. 'Wow!'

Quinn beamed. 'Josh! We've found the universal cure against twitching!'

Josh smiled a bit. But he was busily reording the formula for the potion. 'OK, there it is …'

After this, even Drake could laugh about the pictures he saw on the webcast. They showed some of them where Drake had been Megan's victim. Drake just chuckled. 'I've never believed that Megan's pranks could be entertaining, but there they are …'

* * *

Down to Josh's potion, Nicole had been able to concentrate on her school work without being permanently distracted by cute boys. Fortunately, Quinn and Josh had not told her yet about the ingredients to the potion …

The webshow by Michael and Chase was going to be the most entertaining of the whole PCA, and it was strongly recommended by the Daily Stingray, precisely because of the clips about Drake and Josh.

Megan, Wendy, and Addie decided to help Michael and Chase make toons about the pranks that Megan had pulled on Drake and Josh.

* * *

**Chapter 12 Chicken Pox**

* * *

Megan had still got a bad conscience. Dustin had to acknowledge that she's his dreamgirl, but how to achieve that? Fortunately, Zoey had dissuaded Dustin from Trisha, and she had not betrayed Megan as her informer. But this was nothing to rely on forever.

Janie bounded in. 'Have you heard about the chicken pox epidemia? Now it has caught Dustin!'

'What?' Megan sighed deeply. 'Poor Dustin!' But there was a chance: She had the intention of visiting him, contracting the infection, and stand through the disease by his side. She grinned mischievously.

Megan got ready for a visit to Dustin's.

* * *

Zoey saw Megan coming. 'Sorry, but you can't get to Dustin!'

Megan was consternated.

Zoey sighed. 'Drake told me that you haven't yet got the chicken pox, thus you are not allowed to enter the dorms of those already infected. A strict order by Dean Rivers. Sorry!'

Along came Lola Martinez who was not allowed to visit the victims of the epidemia, either. 'Chase is such a meanie. He has placed a table on top of the roof of his dorm hall, declaring the roof as a girl-free zone!'

Zoey was upset. 'Megan, do you want to sign this card for him, from his friends? I'll give it to him at the next occasion, probably right after classes. And after that, we have to negotiate with the boys!'

Megan nodded. 'In love, Megan!' She signed the card. But she had not given up. _Maybe a bit of ink could do wonders? The boobs would sure fall for fake pox. Granted, the nurse in charge with the school's infirmary was a perverse beast, but what wouldn't Megan have gone through for Dustin …_

* * *

Wendy painted fake pox pimples all over Megan's skin, grinning viciously. 'I'd do the same if Drake was sick …'

Megan grinned mischievously.

Zoey bounded in.

Wendy quickly hid the pencils.

Zoey reported about her visit to Dustin's. 'Dustin is fine, I mean … for someone who is sick, that is.' She chuckled. 'He's glad about the gifts and cards. Btw, there's a new nurse, Shannon, who is totally nice!'

Megan sighed with relief.

'OK, I've taken a pic of Dustin and the nurse, for all of his friends …' Zoey smiled.

Megan grinned when she saw the photograph. _It was so not like during the days of the old nurse._

'But Megan, you …' Zoey was consternated. 'Since when do you have …'

Wendy sighed. 'They came over her within a few minutes … fortunately, I've already gone through the chicken pox two years ago.'

Zoey grabbed Megan. 'And off to the nurse's station! It's urgent!'

Megan whistled innocently.

* * *

Nurse Shannon shrugged. 'You will have to stay here for Dr. Glazer to make a check!'

Megan knew that Dr. Glazer's checks were downright sloppy.

Dustin sighed. 'Oh no, now you're sick, too …'

Megan feigned a sob.

Zoey was in a hurry. 'Drake will come over in a few, I have to talk with Lola and Nicole about the roof top of the boy's hall …'

Megan moaned . _Why did the boob have to come? Couldn't he just have stuck his tongue into Lola's jaw, or something like that?_

Zoey grinned mischievously. 'Logan and Chase claim that their roof top has to be girl-free as it's the only place where boys can be themselves, which they can't when girls are around, or so they say. Now my idea is is … Lola could disguise and act as a boy and move into the boys' dorms …'

In this moment, the door opened. Drake dragged Josh into the infirmary.

Josh floundered, but he was unable to escape.

Drake moaned. 'Quinn and Josh have been developing a medication against the chicken pox. Josh tried it, and now …'

Josh moaned and coughed like a steam engine. 'But it helps, her snake is now immune against shingles …' He bellowed. Too bad he couldn't twitch anymore, that would have been too funny!

Zoey chuckled without being noticed.

'Man, you're lucky, Josh!' Drake beamed. 'The new nurse is really pretty and nice!'

Josh relaxed. 'OK, I'm going to stay here!' He stammered, coughing over and over.

Zoey had had the intention to infiltrate Lola into Logan's and Chase's dorm, talking Michael into playing a sick guy, but that of Drake was going to be much better of an idea, … She waved, and off she was.

Drake stayed, playing a few songs for the sick kids. Even Megan enjoyed that!

* * *

Zoey had gathered the girls. They redressed Lola as a guy named Steve.

Quinn added microphones and button hole cams to Steve's aka Lola's outfit.

But one girl was in the gathering that had better not been …

Ashley grimaced. _If Lola got through, she was passing on top of her, and everything had been for naught. That plot better had to be undermined._

* * *

It was the first evening for Lola aka Steve to spend in the dorm with Drake, Eric, and Craig.

He had been a bit clumsy, but that was nothing compared to Eric's and Craig's natural dorkishness.

Steve slipped under his blanket, yawning a good night to the other boys.

Suddenly, a tune was heard from outside the window.

* * *

Out on the water I can here then call  
I feel the power inside me  
This is the moment I've been waiting for  
It is here, now I'm breaking away  
It is fortune that favours the brave[12:1]

* * *

Steve slipped out of his bed and approached Drake.

'Steve, what are you …' Drake trembled. He wanted to cry for help because of a gay attack.

Steve wrapped his arms tenderly around Drake who floundered.

Craig and Eric just chuckled and made silly comments.

* * *

And maybe tonight — tonight I'll go  
I'll go down to the river where my love will be,  
This time — this time I know  
She will lay down beside me, as everything comes  
To the waiting heart!

* * *

Drake tried to struggle free from Steve's grip, but, instead, he pushed the wig away. He was surprised. 'Lola?'

Lola squealed. When she had calmed down, she explained everything. 'But this song was irresistible …'

They looked out from the window, and they saw Addie Singer, standing down there with a guitar.

Ashley had bribed her into that.

'I've got an idea. We all help together and clear the girls' roof top, making it an even nicer place. Then Logan will envy you and stuff,' Drake announced, making Lola beam.

But she better went back to her own dorm before any trouble was caused, inspite of her insensate wish to stay with Drake.

* * *

Unfortunately, Shannon had only been the nurse for the lower grades.

Thus Josh was tortured by the evil nurse.

Alas, Megan had really contracted the chicken pox through exposure when being at the nurse's station. But it was fun for them, anyways.

* * *

**Chapter 13 The Science Club**

* * *

Alas, the roof top had not been the last stronghold of the boys that was kept girl-free.

The PCA had a science club that was specialised on building robots. They were participating in a warbot contest. Quinn had not been accepted, because she was a girl.

The boss of the club was Wayne Gilbert aka Firewire, a maniac cerebral narcissist. 'Girls and science are like NaOH and NH3, thus they need to stay out of our club.' He laughed insanely when he said that.

His friends Neal and Andrew nodded silently. 'If you say so, Wayne …'

'Firewire! Call me Firewire!' Wayne insisted. 'That goes as well for the new guys, Josh, Craig, …'

'Eric!' Blonowitz protested vigorously. 'My name is Eric!'

Andrew and Neal chuckled.

Josh was very sad. He wished so much that Quinn was allowed to join as well.

* * *

Wayne had not only rejected Quinn, but also insulted Zoey.

Zoey had gathered her friends Lola, Nicole, Logan, Michael, and Chase because they could not stand Firewire's arrogance.

They had decided to build their own war robot, but they needed Quinn to do the dirty work.

Unfortunately, Logan was arrogant enough to insult Quinn.

Hence Quinn had stopped working for the gang. She should never have started talking to them, anyways, as those brainless beasts were not worthy of her shadow. Now Quinn was lying on her bed and sobbed bitterly. Firewire and Logan both had called her a spaz. OK, Logan was a pervert, had always been, and was always going to be, until the days of dystopia and beyond. But Firewire should at least pretend to be impressed by her inventions. Alas, she really wasn't into war stuff, but the insult was still something that hurt…

Suddenly someone knocked at the door. 'Listen, it's me, Mindy …'

'What do you want?' Quinn yelled at the girl that had caused her and Josh a bunch of troubles.

'I'm sorry for everything …' Mindy sighed. '…as long as Fireweirdo doesn't let us join the science club … how about making our own?'

Quinn started beaming. ' maybe …' She opened the door for Mindy. 'But no violence!'

Mindy sighed. 'How are we showing the boys our superiority if we can't destroy their robots?'

Quinn shrugged helplessly. 'We could destroy something else … like those karate kids do.'

Mindy scratched her chin. 'Like woaden boards, marble slabs, bricks, steel plates?'

Quinn nodded solemnly.

* * *

Megan visited her boobs. 'Hi … Josh, what's up?'

Josh told Megan about the science club and Quinn.

'I know it's all the fault of Wayne Gilbert …' Megan sighed. 'But why don't you show Quinn that you stick up for her and leave that stupid club?'

'Firewire!' Eric boomed. 'His name is Firewire!'

Drake chuckled. 'Yeah, science is stupid!'

Josh pummeled Drake in the shoulders. Then he sighed. 'Quinn doesn't want me to miss out on my chance. Firewire shouldn't get all the credit for himself and his two major pals!'

Megan nodded. 'True! So what do you think about Quinn working together with Mindy?' Megan grinned viciously. The science geek girls did not want others to know about their secret project.

'She does?' Josh was consternated. He threw himself on his bed and started weeping.

Drake stared oddly at Megan. 'Look what you've done!'

Megan sighed ruefully. She had to do something about that.

Dustin bounded in. He had dragged Nicole behind.

'Drake!' Nicole jumped into his arms, making him sigh again.

Dustin shook his head. 'We're here for another reason …' he sighed deeply when he saw Megan's worried face. 'Zoey wants to pair Nicole with Miles Brody! She thinks that he may build them a robot better than Firevoodoo's.'

'What?' Megan was dismayed. How could Zoey do that? 'Nicole! Miles is totally uncute and boring. Don't obey to Zoey, and keep your dignity!'

Josh and Drake agreed wholeheartedly with Megan.

* * *

Zoey was bitterly disappointed by Nicole's refusal.

'What would you say if Lola told you to kiss Logan Reese, so that his dad will pay a new whirlpool for your lounge?' Megan boomed at Zoey.

Zoey doubled over and puked. She was close to passing out.

Megan was worried and helped Zoey up again.

'Last year, I've been so close to kissing Logan during the school play. [13:1] But then I saw what a jerk he was …' Zoey sighed.

'Now, do you understand how disgusted Nicole might be?' Megan stared mischievously. 'She dies for cute boys, and Miles Brody is definitely not cute at all!'

Zoey sighed. 'I guess you're right. I better forget about that damn' war robot thing. It has already costed me Quinn, …'

Megan nodded. 'I wonder what Quinn and Mindy are doing …'

* * *

Quinn showed Mindy a wrist watch with built-in laser zappers. 'OK … this is a beam weapon, very small, but not powerful enough to sunder metal.'

Mindy nodded. 'I've built a prototype of a hyperbolic photon cannon. Yet the power supply alone would take much more space than the rules allow … only one yard tall shall the robots be.'

Quinn sighed. 'Hey! They only prescribe a limit for the robot, not for the remote control!'

Mindy beamed. 'Yeah, we need a way to supply our robot with power, from a control station which may be a lot bigger!'

They decided to attach photoelectric cells to the war robot, and activate them with a phaser beam from their remote control station. Quinn and Mindy highfived.

* * *

Demonstration day had come. Mindy and Quinn were ready to demonstrate the power of their mini warbot.

Firewire cackled manically. His pals, Josh, Craig, and Eric just watched silently when he directed his warbot towards a talon of oakwood logs. Crash! The logs were a heap of splinters.

Mindy and Quinn grinned when they unleashed their robot. Zap! A beam shot forth from their mini-warbot and drilled a fist-sized hole into a nearby brick wall.

Firewire was astonished.

Mindy stepped up to Firewire. 'Do you now see that girls are the better scientists?'

Firewire cackled, but he was filled with awe.

Neal and Andrew urged Firewire to integrate the girls into the science club. 'Otherwise we will lose the contest …'

'And what if we don't want loser boys like you in our club?' Mindy's eyes drilled a hole into Firewire's brain, making him tremble.

'Now kiss me, you dork!' Mindy boomed ferociously.

Firewire grabbed Mindy, pulled her closer, and pressed his lips against her nose.

The audience was astonished.

Quinn beamed into Josh's direction. 'I guess that means that there's now one science club for boys and girls?'

Firewire nodded. 'You're not girls, you're godesses!'

* * *

**Chapter 14 Jerk In The Fountain**

* * *

Megan wrote into her diary:

* * *

It's now a year since I've met Dustin for the first time, and he still doesn't see that … blush … Maybe that's why he asked his slave driver Logan Reese to teach him how to get at girls. Logan is such a jerk who only abuses girls for fun. Dustin is unable to do that. This enterprise is doomed to downright failure. If only Dustin came to see that …

* * *

Wendy bounded in. 'Dustin has told Logan that I've turned him down, like a year ago.'[14:1]

Megan jumped up. Fits of jealousy were about seizing control over her mind. 'Dustin asked you out?'

'That was before you arrived …' Wendy swore solemnly.

Megan shrugged. 'How did he do that?'

'He begged me on his knees.' Wendy chuckled. 'That was so sweet, but, as you know, I had only eyes for your brother Drake … It must have hurt Dustin an insane lot.'

'Do you want to say that you would take Dustin anytime now, as you're now approving of Lola?' Megan's voice was penetrant, and her eyes gleamed with jealousy.

Wendy shook her head. 'I see that you like him so much, so …'

Megan hadn't yet told about it to Wendy, but it had been too obvious, all the time. Janie had made several remarks, as well. She had already asked secretly for doubledates, Janie with Jack, Megan with Dustin.

'Apropos double dates …' Wendy remarked: 'Logan seems to have arranged one, with the Baldwin sisters, Tracy and Sandy.'

'Sandy?' Steam billowed forth from Megan's ears and nostrils. She started hissing.

Wendy sighed. 'Don't worry about Sandy, she's nice and if you tell her about your feelings for Dustin, she won't er …'

Megan relaxed a bit.

Wendy grinned. 'But Tracey and Logan … that's so hilarious. She hates jerks …'

Megan chuckled. 'Cool … oh, now I remember … her first encounter with Drake.'

Wendy rolled on the floor, laughing her limbs off. 'She pushed him right into the fountain!'

Megan couldn't help laughing satanically. 'Serves that boob well!'

Speaking of the jerk …

Drake and Lola bounded in.

Lola weeped, Drake's sincere attempts of consolation notwithstanding.

Megan was concerened. 'Lola?'

'I suck in biology, and so I've been assigned Craig and Eric as my tutors. They are members of the school's botanic garden club.' Lola sobbed.

'And so?' Megan wondered.

'They took me into the botanic garden, and they made a lot of tasteless jokes, and horny remarks about the flowers and the bees …' Lola weeped piteously.

'I knew I shouldn't have trusted those freaks!' Drake sighed. 'Can't they stick to girls in their league?'

Megan was really disgusted by the way Craig and Eric had harassed Lola. She shook her head. 'They are going to pay for that!' Her eyes gleamed viciously.

Less than a minute later, Josh and Quinn bounded in. Quinn sobbed equally.

Megan grumbled. Why do both of her boobs have to drag their girls into Room 153 at the same time?

Josh explained: 'Logan Reese is such a meanie. He has incited Dustin to call Quinn's trombone performance mediocre!'

Megan moaned. 'What a jerk! I hope Dustin recognises that before it's too late! '

Quinn sobbed.

'Do you still have the notes for your trombone solo? I might try and adapt it to my oboe …' Megan suggested.

'That would be cool!' Quinn smiled.

* * *

Logan had taught Dustin to treat girls arrogantly, but now he was stuck.

Tracey Baldwin was most apparently appalled by Logan's perverted style. Consequently, she acted as she had done the year before … 'Now I want to see the movie Jerk in the Fountain.'

Logan wondered. His dad was a Hollywood producer, but Logan had never heard about that movie.

Tracey grabbed Logan by the top, and she pushed him rudely into the fountain, applauded by Dustin and Sandy.

Dustin had finally understood that Logan's way was completely decadent and perverted, and definitely not the way he was going to choose.

'Come, let's go!' Sandy told Dustin.

Dustin smiled.

Tracey went back to her lounge.

Logan was all wet, from uvula to pancreas. 'Is there really such a movie?'

In this moment, Ashley Blake walked past. 'Logan, what the heck are you …' She disdignified herself by helping the jerk out of the fountain.

'So … is there such a movie?' Logan moaned when Ashley rubbed him dry.

'Your dad could make one.' Ashley suggested. 'with me as the female star.'

Logan beamed and highfived with Ashley.

* * *

Megan heard Sandy and Dustin entering their floor.

'Dustin, I like you…' Sandy stammered. 'but … I know of someone who really loves you, infinitely much more.'

Dustin was astonished.

Sandy showed Dustin to Room 153.

'Wendy?' Dustin remembered when she had turned him down.

Sandy shook her head. 'It's Megan.'

Dustin's heart started missing the beats when Sandy guided him across the door step. 'Megan!' he blushed deeply.

Megan blushed back when she took Dustin in her arms and cuddled him fondly.

Wendy and Sandy smiled.

'Awwww!' Dustin shed tears of joy and laughter. 'I've never dared to ask you, remembering how Wendy had turned me down, and Zoey's video …'

Megan sighed. That video …'Zoey isn't unreasonable, but I think it's possible for us to have the cake and eat it!'

Dustin purred. 'I'll take a chance on it!'

* * *

Eric and Drake arrived at their dorm, all wet.

'Craig!' Drake boomed.

'Eric, my name is …' Blonowitz was disturbed.

Josh wondered about what had happened.

Eric explained. 'We've received some anonymous invitation for a date with Tracey Baldwin. We've told her a few true jokes, and … booom … next thing I remember, we were lying in the middle of the fountain …'

Drake and Josh laughed their butts off.

* * *

**Chapter 15 Frazz**

* * *

Megan wrote into her diary:

* * *

Finally, Dustin and I are together, heart to heart, hand in hand. Unfortunately, the spring break I will have to spend without Dustin. I'm going on a camping trip into Yosemite Park, with the boobs and Walter and Coco. That will be so disgusting. Dustin and his sister are invited to the summer house of the Reese family in Santa Barbara. I guess he will have a lot of fun there, and Malcolm sure has got something up his sleeve, like a movie where he needs a few backup actors, and Lola is a great actress. I envy them, but I'm happy for Dustin. Maybe I get to see him in a movie?

* * *

Megan, Wendy, and Ashley were preparing everything for their spring break.

'There are real bears in Yosemite!' Wendy squealed, making Megan tremble.

Suddenly, Josh bounded in. He beamed brightly. 'Quinn will come with with us!'

'What?' Megan boomed. 'Wasn't she supposed to go to Santa Barbara?'

Josh nodded. 'She was, but after Jerkan Reese had treated her thrice like dirt, she has finally drawn the consequences and uninvited herself.'

Megan applauded for Quinn. Few people had had the courage to stand up against the spoilt brat. Dustin should have shown a lot more courage instead of succumbing to him just because he paid well. But what was she talking, Ashley was treating Megan in a very similar way … Yet she remembered something. 'Hasn't Malcolm insisted in four boys and four girls, not more and not less?' She counted. 'Chase, Michael, Logan, Dustin, Zoey, Lola, Nicole … so there's one girl missing. Maybe I …' Megan's eyes gleamed with hope.

Josh sighed. 'Audrey said that you can't …'

Megan chuckled. 'Isn't mom seeing what's going on between Walter and Coco?'

Josh shrugged.

Megan didn't care about mom and Walter, but she was really sad because her hope was destroyed, again.

Drake bounded in. 'Megan … I'm also not happy about being separated from Lola …' He sighed. Both of them envied Josh who was going to spend the spring break with his beloved Quinn. Officially, she still was Mark's, but that was just a matter of time …

'Who will go to Sanat Barbara, then?' Wendy wondered.

Ashley had been grinning silently, without being noticed. But now she jumped around. 'That's me! It bothers me that I have to share a limo with those vulgar people like Lola, but still …'

Drake wanted to object to Ashley calling Lola a vulgar girl, but he was kept back by Josh.

Megan was now sure that Malcolm was up to a movie …

* * *

Walter, Coco, and the kids had arrived in Yosemite. They took the tents from their van.

Quinn and Josh had to announce something.

'OK, Quinn and I, we have brewed some powerful energy drink …' Josh squealed.

'All distilled from the best natural ingredients only!' Quinn asserted. 'Its name is Frazz'

Megan shook her head. Josh could never survive without chemistry.

Josh announced that it still needed to be banlanced. 'We may use it only for emergency cases! Don't touch it otherwise!'

Drake and Megan promised to keep their fingers off the drink, but they had not got any intention of keeping their promise. They plastered a feint smile.

* * *

Drake, Josh, and Walter shared one tent, Coco, Megan, and Quinn shared the other one.

Megan and Drake snuck out of their respective tents at night. They wanted to phone Dustin and Lola, respectively, and they wanted to snatch the bottle of Frazz.

'Drake!' Megan squealed.

'Megan!' Drake stammered. 'I won't tell them if you won't …'

Megan agreed. Then they took their cellular phones.

After terminating the calls, they took the bottle of Frazz and shared it in a fair and square manner.

'Yummy!' Megan rubbed her tummy.

Drake agreed. 'I already feel the power!'

'Dustin said that they have got new cellular phones, the tek-mates.' Megan reported.

Drake nodded. 'And they are making a game show, boys vs. girls. That's why Malcolm insisted in four and four.'

They were about sneaking back to their tents, when they saw … a big bear, right at the tents! He was about ripping the cloth apart, both with his dagger-shaped fangs and his sickle-shaped claws. Obviously, Josh, Walter, Quinn, and Coco didn't notice zilch.

Drake and Megan were consternated. They hoped that they could rely on Frazz … They stormed ahead and …

Boom! Bang! Zonk!

Finally, the four sloths woke up. When they noticed what was going on, Drake and Megan had just knocked the bear into oblivion.

'We've told you not to touch our Frazz!' Quinn and Josh boomed, until they noticed that it had really been a case of emergency.

* * *

The vacations were gone, and Megan and Drake were still all hyper when they returned to the campus. They saw Dustin and Lola again.

Megan huggled Dustin who wondered why she was so much energised. 'So who has won?'

'The girls … Chase let Zoey win on purpose …' Dustin moaned. 'But we'll be on TV, too! The show is named Gender Defenders.'

Megan smiled energically.

'I guess that Chase wanted to tell Zoey about his feelings, but the courage has let him down … in the last moments …' Dustin wagered.

Megan understood.

Drake juggled Lola in his arms, making her laugh like crazy.

'The show starts!' Nicole yelled at the other kids.

Noone wanted to miss the premiere of Gender Defenders.

* * *

Michael had urged Chase over and over again to tell Zoey about his feelings. Finally, Chase had the courage to tell her, using his new tek-mate. He entered three words and sent them.

Unfortunately, Zoey had left her tek mate on the brink of the fountain.

Megan passed there after the broadcast of Gender Defenders, and she saw the tek-mate. She wondered whose it was.

All of a sudden, the earth started to quake slightly.

Megan noticed that the trembling ground was likely to make the phone slide into the water, and those electronic devices were hardly waterproof. She decided to save it. Down to the energy drink, she made it there, right in time. 'It's Zoey's!' She smiled. She read the news. Then the powers left her. She broke down next to the spring, with Zoey's tek-mate safely in her hands.

Along came Lola. She was a bit disappointed because Drake had fallen asleep right after the show. She saw Megan lying there, and Zoey's tek-mate. She decided to take it to Zoey.

* * *

Zoey thanked Lola. 'So Megan wanted to bring it to me, but she must have lost her powers in that moment …' She stared at the tek-mate. There was a message. It was from Chase Matthews. He had been particularly clumsy at Santa Barbara. She read the news. 'I LOVE YOU!'

Lola jumped up and down, then she bounced around.

Zoey was downright consternated. She broke down and passed out.

Lola was totally worried.

Along came Nicole. 'Zoey!'

Lola shrugged helplessly. She told Nicole about the SMS.

'Yeah!' Nicole bounced around. 'I always knew it! But why is Zoey not happy about that?'

Lola shrugged helplessly. 'By the way, Malcolm has convinced us that Hollywood is big enough for both me and Ashley.' She sighed with relief.

Dustin and Megan bounded in. The latter yawned like a hyena.

Nicole explained Dustin what had been going on.

Dustin and Megan knew Zoey's video, thus they were little surprised that Zoey was consternated. They also were very sad.

Megan and Dustin wanted to be good examples for Zoey, showing her how to eat your cake and have it at the same time.

* * *

**Chapter 16 Smoked Tuna**

* * *

During the following weeks, Chase and Zoey kept strangely avoiding each other.

The gang used to spend two or three evenings of the week at _Sushi Rox_, i.e. Kazu's Japanese restaurant, on the campus.

Most of them were sushi fanatics.

Fortunately, Quinn had dropped all of her contacts with the ungrateful gang.

Logan Reese was the worst of the whole bunch ridiculing her.

Dustin and Megan were deemed too young by their elder siblings to stay up after 8 p.m. They grumbled when they were sent to bed quite early.

Josh, Quinn, Craig. Eric, Mindy, Firewire, Neal, and Andrew spent the evenings with interesting scientific experiments.

Everyone thought: 'They are going to blow up the campus or set it ablaze, surely one day …'

* * *

It was close to curfew time at Kazu's.

Chase had been serving on and off as a waiter and delivery boy.

This was also the case at one particular evening.

Coach Keller, a sushi fanatic, was terribly impatient.

Zoey hid her mixed feelings when she sat at a table with Michael, Logan, Lola, Nicole, and Drake. She ordered, 'Tempura Rolls!'

Chase nodded. He had no clue whether Zoey had ever received his SMS. But he kept on waiting anxiously.

Kazu moaned. 'OK, last order for tonight!' He looked at the watch. 'Chase, you have to deliver these .. dead fish and some other orange stuff!'

It was a lot.

But Chase took the whole bunch, thinking himself able to carry all of it. Then he carelessly descended the staircase and … 'Woahhhh!' He dropped everything.

Kazu came looking for Chase, neglecting his stove.

The friends of Chase joined in.

Suddenly, the stove tilted, down to the vibrations caused by the panic.

Nobody noticed the incident in time until …

The next moment, the whole bar was on fire.

Zoey alerted the fire brigades.

But it was too late.

_Sushi Rox_ was burnt down.

* * *

Megan and her friends had already been asleep when the unfortunate incident occurred. They had woken up, but hadn't really come to get bothered.

The next morning, Sandy heard about the accident from her elder sister Tracey. She told Megan and Wendy about it in the breakfast room.

'Oh no! No more Japanese candy!' Megan weeped. She was totally obsessed with that stuff.

Dustin walked in. 'You're my favourite candy!' He told Megan and pecked her nose.

Megan smiled sweetly. 'And vice versa!'

Wendy coughed. She told Dustin about the accident.

Dustin sighed deeply. 'I don't think Kazu has got a lot of money, not enough for backing it up.'

Megan nodded. 'Those boobs and boobettes will pay for it! I'm sure it's their fault!'

Along came Michael. 'OK, I admit it! It is certainly our fault, too … If we had cared about curfews and stuff …'

Megan and Dustin were upset.

They had stuck to their curfews.

But the elders never did.

* * *

Quinn gathered her science freaks. 'OK, the meetings of the science club suck without sushi!'

Firewire cackled. 'I love it when that delivery guy, Chase or so, gets chased around the campus …'

Josh sighed. 'Wasn't our order of last night just 10 minutes before closing time? I feel so guilty …'

The other geeks agreed. 'We need to repay Kazu! Otherwise, _Sushi Rox_ will have to close down forever!'

'We could clone and sell babies,' Quinn suggested.

'Or puppies,' Mindy corrected.

Firewire grinned. 'Yeah, let's clone puppies. Do they still have that dog Elvis?'

Quinn scratched her head. 'Yeah, but he's transferred from dorm to dorm, whenever the dorm advisers start getting suspicious.'

Firewire decided, 'OK, let's find him and sell clones of him!'

* * *

Dustin and Megan met Kazu in front of former _Sushi Rox_.

The police had just examined the accident.

'Sorry, I'm leaving the PCA for sweet home Alabama.' Kazu sighed.

'Can't you start from scratch? The pupils will sure help you, time after time,' Megan suggested.

'Without a room for the guests?' Kazu wondered.

'Start out as delivery-only!' Dustin proposed. 'You'll just need a kitchen. Best restrict to cold kitchen …'

Kazu sighed.

Dustin's suggestion made so much sense.

'OK, I'll ask the cafeteria lady whether I may rent their kitchen …'

Dustin and Megan cheered.

* * *

Zoey sighed. She was forced to help Kazu each monday and wednesday evening in the kitchen, so he could afford to rent it for his sushi delivery service.

But that was fair enough.

If she hadn't ordered the California rolls like 5 minutes before curfew …

Chase entered the kitchen in order to deliver a bunch of gunyoki, whatever that is, to one certain address : 'Logan Reese!'

Zoey sighed. 'Logan might have afforded to donate a few thousands of buck for the restauration of Sushi Rocks.'

Chase nodded. 'But we better learn to get along without him.' He wanted to ask Zoey whether she had obtained the SMS call, but he lacked the guts to do so, just as he did before the spring break. Was he ever going to find it?

Also Zoey moaned because she didn't dare to answer Chase right away. She had no idea how much she would hurt him.

But one thing was sure:

By not starting to talk, they were going to hurt themselves and each other more and more with the passage of the months.

Where was that getting at?

* * *

'Puppies … fresh puppies …' Mindy stood near the campus well and tried to sell them as pets.

Alas, they had forgotten that pets were not allowed at the PCA, not for the pupils, not for the teachers, briefly, not for anyone, including Dean Rivers.

Dean Rivers?

Oh no, the headmaster was passing by.

Ouch!

That really called for troubles …

Fortunately, Quinn had been able to sell a few puppies using the interweb. more lucky,

But they didn't gain any bucks this way.

* * *

In the end, it was Megan's and Dustin's idea to save _Sushi Rox_ for future generations of PCA pupils.

* * *

**Chapter 17 Makes Me Happy**

* * *

Megan and Dustin found Zoey on the campus. 'Hi sis, what language are Chase, Michael, and Logan talking? They sound so outlandish. Klingon?'

Zoey chuckled. 'They are crazy. They run a bet.'

Megan squealed: 'Aw cool …' She remembered when Drake and Josh ran a bet about their ability to abandon their worst vices.

Of course neither of the boobs had been able to forsake video gaming or junk food, respectively, forever.

And the real winner had been Megan.

She had laughed about those sad losers.

Zoey chuckled. 'He who uses the letter 's' loses the bet and has to cross the campus, dressed in a fancy manner! And Michael has got a crush on a girl named Vanessa …'

Megan beamed brightly. 'I have to make them sign a bet contract …'

* * *

Quinn and Josh were in the office of Dean Rivers.

'OK, you've installed the voice-controlled office engine … how do I get it to work?' The headmaster was curious.

'Say 'coffee' in order to launch the built-in coffee machine.' Josh demonstrated it.

'In order to open or shut the office door, just say 'door'!' Quinn explained.

Dean Rivers nodded. 'Door!'

In this moment, Mr. Callaghan[17:1], Drake's teacher for English, wanted to enter the office in order to talk with Rivers about a field trip.

Alas, the door flew right into Callaghan's face, knocking him out.

Rivers told secretary Beverly to call Dr. Glazer.

The medic diagnosed: 'He won't be able to teach for the next weeks … months … years … that makes 1000 bucks!'

Angry Dean Rivers looked for his wallet.

Now it was the right moment for Quinn to demonstrate the last function of the office plant:

'Dogs!'

This activated the sound of a bunch of barking dogs.

Dr. Glazer fled screaming.

Dean Rivers smiled, yet he had to look for a new English teacher.

Alas, in this moment, Quinn received an emergency call from her mom who lived in Seattle …

* * *

Josh came back to his dorm.

Drake was already about going to sleep.

Josh was sad.

Drake wondered. 'Josh?'

Josh sighed. 'Quinn's alpaca is depressed. Now Quinn is depressed, too. And this makes me depressed, as well!' He moaned piteously.

'What is an alpaca?' Drake wondered.

'Sort of a llama …' Josh explained.

'Quinn is a lamer herself!' Drake taunted Josh mercilessly.

* * *

Josh was bitterly disappointed by Drake. Thus he tried to get Megan to help him.

'OK, boob … I'll take care of that!' Megan promised.

Josh smiled, unaware of Megan's intentions …

* * *

Drake came home from classes. While opening the dorm door, he was hit by a penetrant scent.'Egad!' He was close to throwing up.

Megan was there and grinned.

Drake looked next to his sister. 'Er … what's that …?'

'That's Otiz, an alpaca!' Megan beamed. 'And you boobs will hide it in here, until Quinn is cured from her depressions!'

'But … the PCA has got those strict rules against pets!' Eric protested while tickling his pet lizard.

'That's your problem by now!' Megan beamed. Then she walked away.

Drake looked totally stoned.

* * *

Chase, Michael, and Logan behaved like idiots in order to avoid the letter 's'.

But finally, Michael broke down. 'Sweet Vanessa …'

'Hah! That was an 's'!' Logan beamed.

'More than just one 's'!' Chase clarified.

Megan jumped into the way of the three no-good-for-nothings. 'Thanks, boobs! I'll watch you boobs crossing the campus in a hula skirt and a lamp on your head.'

'Hey! Michael has given up first!' Logan objected.

'So what?' Megan stayed cool. 'Your contract says 'whoever gives up has to do those humiliating things.' It is not restricted to the first one to give up. And after Michael said the forbidden letter, you boobs did the same!'

Chase and Logan looked consternated.

But it was true.

That was the deal …

* * *

Dean Rivers expected a canditate for the vacancy as an English teacher. It was none other than Mrs. Heyfer!

Josh heard that and stepped into the headmaster's office. 'I have to fix the office engine …'

Rivers nodded. 'But hurry up, Mrs. Hayfer is almost here …'

Mrs. Heyfer entered the office.

'Shall I fetch us some hotdogs from the cafeteria?' Josh asked Rivers.

Suddenly, the artificial dogs started barking.

Josh hoped that Mrs. Heyfer was going to flee in terror, but nothing like that happened.

'I like big dogs with sharp teeth.' Mrs. Heyfer explained. 'I've got one named Tiberius. If I make it hereto, he'll come with me!'

Josh trembled with dismay. 'Pets are not allowed at …'

'Stupid prophibition …' Mr. Rivers smiled. 'Of course Tiberius is welcome!'

Dean Rivers had cancelled the prohibition against pets just in order to accomodate Mrs. Heyfer and her dangerous dog.

But this also meant that Quinn's alpaca was now officially tolerated.

Megan and Dustin were building a stable for Otiz.

Drake sighed with relief. 'Do you know what the beast has left in my bed?'

'I may smell it …' Dustin grinned.

Quinn cuddled with her alpaca. 'Oh Otiz, you really make me happy!'

Drake chuckled when he saw Michael, Chase, and Logan passing by, dressed in a humiliating manner. 'Aw, Quinn and Otiz, isn't that cute … hey, I've got an idea for a song …'

* * *

Lola smiled and sat down on Drake's lap when he took his guitar and started singing.

* * *

Well hello, lets go  
Everybody must know  
There's love in my heart  
Like a bomb  
It's blowing a song  
Inside I'm singing  
Sunshine Lola's bringing  
Lola makes me happy  
Lola makes me sing[17:2]

* * *

Dustin huggled Megan, and Josh huggled Quinn, while Lola purred sweetly on top of Drake's lap.

* * *

**Chapter 18 Rebecca**

* * *

The summer break was over, and Drake, Josh, and Megan returned for a new term at the PCA. Megan made Drake and Josh carry her luggage, and the boobs had to take turns giving her a piggyback ride.

Chase came along, carrying his guitar and some golf clubs. A dark-haired girl followed him.

'How can he?' Megan boomed. 'Chase loves Zoey! Not such a bitch as … whoever she is!'

'None of our business.' Josh tried to distract Megan.

'Dustin needs to know about that!' Megan glared oddly at the boobs. She was quiet for the next ten minutes when Drake and Josh took care of their own room keys.

* * *

Josh shrugged. 'Look! There's Dustin!'

Megan jumped off Josh's back and ran over to Dustin who was apparently bound for the beach, along with Jack, Janie, and a few other friends.

Josh and Drake sighed with relief. They hoped sincerely that Craig and Eric were assigned a different dorm for this year. The freaks were unbearable.

* * *

Dustin was consternated. 'Chase is cheating on my sister?'

'Maybe …' Megan sighed. 'It could be an accident, she might be his cousin or so, but she looked a bit too flirtatious for that matter.'

Dustin was consternated, and Megan had to hold him tight. 'Sorry, I've got to make him fess up!'

Megan nodded solemnly. She would have done the same if she had conjectured Lola cheating on Drake. Then she played beach ball with Jack, Janie, Ashley, Wendy, and a few other kids. Max wasn't any longer at the PCA, and, much to Megan's dismay, he was replaced with Robby Carmichael. But maybe she learnt to get along with her neighbours' boy at the boarding school, seeing that her relationship with Drake and Josh had improved that much.

* * *

Not long thereafter, Dustin returned to the beach. He was totally pale in his face.

Megan was worried. 'Dustin?' She excused herself and took Dustin to Zoey's dorm.

* * *

Lola was disappointed when she heard that Nicole was gone. Nicole was too boy-crazy for a coeducative boarding school. Now she went to a girls only school named St. Agnes[18:1] .

Zoey and Lola decided that they were going to miss Nicole. But who was going to replace her in dorm 101? They were still disgusted by Quinn's totally crazy experiments. But, after meeting walking along, with an open can of stinky ravioli in her hands, the nightmare was coming true: Quinn Pensky was their new roomie, along with a transparent bee hive!

Zoey had been feeling bad because she hadn't yet told Chase that she can't love him the way he did. Dustin had tried to change her mind during the break, but in vain.

A little bit later, Megan dragged Dustin along. 'Zoey! It's urgent!'

'Oh My Gawd!' Zoey boomed. She saw her little brother all pale. 'Dustin! What's up?'

Dustin's eyes were glassy, like a zombie.

Megan told Zoey about her discovery.

Zoey didn't mind Chase having a girlfriend, and she didn't see anything wrong with that, but …'OK, Dustin, what were Chase and Rebecca doing?'

Dustin threw up when he tried to talk about it, staining Zoey's new plush squid with a penetrant stink. He was close to passing out.

'Nothing that we tweenies should see or talk about …' Megan was consternated at last. Chase would never have done that on his own, the unidentified girl must have been a … the appropriate words wouldn't have passed the PCA's censorship.

Zoey sighed deeply. Chase having a girlfriend was one thing, it made her life a lot easier, but their perverse games in front of her little brother, that was unforgivable. 'I give them five minutes to say their last prayers!'

* * *

Zoey walked into Chase's dorm. Rebecca, the girl that had spent the last hours with Chase, had just covered herself hastily with a blanket.

Lola and Quinn followed Zoey. They ordered Megan and Dustin to stay in the corridor, for the scenes they had to expect were not exactly suited for tweenies.

'What's going on here?' Zoey bellowed vigorously.

'Zoey …' Chase stammered. 'This is my steady girlfriend Rebecca.'

'Ah, that's famous Zoey?' Rebecca grinned.

'Yeah, that's me!' Zoey thundered. 'What are you doing here? You've scared Dustin to death!'

Rebecca grinned. 'What a wimp!'

Zoey's patience was totally exhausted. She looked for something to hit Rebecca's skull. One of Chase's golf clubs, an iron nine, appeared to be handy.

Chase was consternated. But he knew that Zoey was just defending Dustin, and she could walk over corpses to do so. 'Zoey , I …' Chase stammered.

'Now do something, Chase!' Rebecca boomed. 'Are you a man or a sissy?' Then she turned louder. 'And afterwards, you're never going to talk to that sunshine barbie girl again!' Rebecca was furious. 'I'm your girlfriend, Zoey had had her chance and she had failed badly!'

'But, Rebecca … Zoey and I, we are just friends ..' Chase stammered.

'Aw … now she's just a friend after you've been lusting yourself to death for almost two years … You mean that you have been friends …' She thundered. 'as in no longer!'

'Rebecca!' Chase was upset. 'If you try to make me turn against my best friends …' He felt he had to make an important decision. 'It's over! You're no longer my girlfriend! Get out of here!'

Rebecca escaped through the window. 'Have fun with your barbie doll!' She grinned sarcastically.

Chase grabbed Rebecca's belongings, and he threw them out to the window. 'I need the blanket back! It's Michael's!'

Quinn and Lola notified Megan and Dustin. 'The situation is clean!'

Megan entered, followed by Dustin. She took a look out to the window, seeing Rebecca limping away. 'Burn the blanket!' She yelled after Rebecca. 'Michael doesn't deserve to get infested!'

Michael and Logan entered, wondering what had been going on here.

Chase decided to talk about it later.

'Logan and I, we've made a few free throws down there …' Michael sighed. He noticed that Logan would have preferred him to remain silent, yet Michael continued. 'Logan flunked every throw!'

Chase was consternated.

'I know who could help you …' Megan whistled innocently.

Logan and Michael stared at Megan.

'Josh's grandmother![18:2] ' Megan smiled.

Logan rolled through the roof laughing.

'OK, if you boobs don't want to believe me …' Megan pouted.

* * *

'Aren't the bees dangerous?' Drake asked when he visited Lola in her dorm.

'Not really!' Megan grinned. 'They only sting boobs!'

Drake and Josh looked disgusted.

Alas, Josh had some idea to help Quinn make the bee hive safer.

Chase bounded in. 'Sorry, that new Stacey Dillsen girl … I've ran into her cotton swab construct, smashing it into smithereens, and now she's screamimg like a fury.'

'Help her repair it!' Zoey commanded Chase.

'I will!' Chase promised solemnly. 'Sorry for all that with Rebecca. After you haven't answered my SMS, I've thought it was time to move on.' Then he told Zoey essentially the same thing as she had said about him on the video for the time capsule. ' And my mom pushed me into dating Becks. But I can't allow anyone to tell me who may be my friend or who mustn't.'

Zoey nodded. 'Let's never allow your girlfriends or my boyfriends to mess with our friendship!'

They high fived solemnly.

Josh saw Quinn holding some glass vassels containing icky stuff. 'Let's experiment?'

Quinn smiled and nodded solemnly. 'Sure!'

* * *

Logan was consternated. He had lost a mini basketball match to some woman of over sixty years.

'OK, you seem to need some power training!' The old lady concluded. 'Follow me! Jogging and aerobics for the start …' She jogged off the pitch, followed by Logan.

Megan, Drake, and Josh chuckled.

'OK, boobs!' Megan smiled. She knew that Drake and Josh took the term boob as a sign of affection, not as an insult. 'How do you like your room of this term?'

Drake and Josh nodded unison. 'Great!'

They had finally gotten rid of Craig and Eric. But they were still pending their new roomie …

* * *

Drake and Josh cleaned their dorm, unaware of anything bad that might be awaiting them. What could be worse than sharing a dorm for a whole year with two freaks? Now they were looking forward to having more space for Quinn and Lola, respectively. They swooned and beamed brightly.

The door went open.

'Hi guys!' A six footer stood in the door frame, grinning arrogantly.

Drake and Josh turned around. They had already seen that guy, but where?

'Vince Blake!' The guy introduced himself.

Now Drake and Josh remembered that face. Vince had been the captain of the football team of Lincoln's[18:3] which the team of Belleview had faced about two years ago. Belleview had won, with Josh as a subber, and Vince did not look as if he was going to forget that. Josh and Drake trembled. And they had one reason more to do so.

'Oh, and my little sister Ashley has told me that you have repeatedly annoyed her.' He clenched his fists. 'So one thing should be clear: If I hear one more complaint from Ashley about you … you're going to be stuck upside down in the basketball hoops down there …'

Drake and Josh trembled like willows in a tornado. Why did they have to get rid of Craig and Eric …

* * *

**Chapter 19 Headless**

* * *

Dustin's miniature plane seemed to be broken. He and his friends had asked Quinn to repair it. Alas, Quinn had sacrificed the navigational system in favour of propulsion …

'This is Jeremiah Trottman, PCA News. Our beloved Dean Rivers has just been knocked out by some miniature plane. As of yet, it is unknown which pupils are at the bottom of this attempt upon Mr. Rivers's life, but we expect that some harsh punishment will be inflicted upon them by our honour council. We are now waiting for some new headmaster for the time Dean Rivers has to spend in hospital.'

* * *

'It was an accident!' Dustin whimpered painfully.

Megan wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. 'I believe you, honey.'

Dustin sighed with relief.

Wendy beamed. 'Maybe the sub headmaster is hot?'

Ashley shrugged. 'As long as he's as gullible as Mr. Bender, it doesn't make much of a difference.'

Janie and Jack shrugged.

* * *

Logan Reese watched the news in the sophomore lounge, along with Michael and Chase. 'I'm so not interested in that stupid accident. All deans are the same, they are just a pain in the hindside. I want to see the new cheerleaders' uniform.'

Michael smiled. 'This year, our football team has got a real chance. Vincent Blake is a hell of a captain!'

Chase shrugged.

Ashley Blake came in. 'You're talking about cheerleaders' uniforms?' She switched channels without asking, ignoring any objection.

Logan cheered. 'Hey, you're a model for cheerleader uniforms?'

Ashley nodded. 'I leave character acting to Lola and I'm more going towards where the money is … I hate learning long texts.' She sighed. 'See, as a child and tweenie actress, texts were all simple. But I can't stay there forever, or I'll disappear in the shadows of Lola Martinez who loves Shakespeare and other dilettantic playwrights.' She meant Chase Matthews, but the latter didn't exactly get it.

Logan applauded wholeheartedly. 'I've already thought multiple times about becoming a model … either that or a car racer like Trisha Kirby.'

Chase and Michael were close to vomiting.

'You're particularly hot in those uniforms …' Logan fessed up to Ashley.

'Really?' Ashley feigned being surprised, although this was exactly what she had expected from Logan.

* * *

Mr. Bender, like a vast majority of teachers at the school, wanted Mr. Taylor PhD from Harvard to take over for the following weeks. He had already asked Executive Chairman Garth Berman [19:1] for his permit, and he gave now instructions to Beverly, the secretary of the school administration.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Beverly pushed the button for the accoustic fortification mode.

'Mr. Bender!' a voice that was easily identified as the one of Mr. Bradford, the owner of the PCA[19:2] 'That's my school, thus I'm responsible for decisions like these!'

Mr. Bender was consternated. 'But Mr. Taylor has got optimal references …'

'Shut up, Bender!' Bradford thundered angrily. 'If I wanted a gorilla from the next zoo to fill in this position, I'd do so, for this is my school!'

'Aye aye, Sir!' Bender whimpered humbly.

'And I decide that Mrs. Hayfer is going to replace Mr. Rivers until he's back from hospital …' Mr. Bradford boomed. 'She has got everything that our school needs: She's hard, but unfair! That's exactly like the life that awaits our pupils.'

Mr. Bender sighed. Mrs. Hayfer had helped out as an English teacher for a few weeks, and she was not very popular. 'If you say so … Sir!' Any objection was pointless.

* * *

Drake shoved Josh against the wall. 'It's all Quinn's fault!' He was downright desperate, because he hated Mrs. Hayfer more than pestillence, famine, death, and devil together.

Josh trembled. 'If you hadn't started dating her daughter Kelly[19:3] , it would never have …'

Drake didn't want to hear about Josh's foul excuses.

Megan had been on her way to looking after Drake and Josh when she heard those terrible noises from their dorm. 'Aw my God!' She thundered.

The door was flung open, and a bucket of water was unleashed upon Drake and Josh.

'Cool down, boobs!' Megan yelled vigorously.

Dustin, who had been following Megan, grinned.

Josh and Drake were flabbergasted.

'Nobody here is happy with Mrs. Hayfer …' Megan stated.

'I hate her!' Dustin declared. 'I can't tell you why, but I really do! Hate as in hate hate! And her dog is a killer beast!'

Josh nodded. 'See? None of the pupils would deliberately knock out Rivers in favour of Hayfer!'

Finally, Drake gave in.

* * *

Mrs. Heyfer dealt out thrice as many detentions as Dean Rivers.

Little surprise, Drake Parker was her favourite victim.

Even Megan Parker couldn't help pitying her favourite real brother. 'We need to scare Hayfer off the PCA!'

Dustin, Janie, and Jack nodded wholeheartedly. They had to go for eliminating Mrs. Hayfer, whatever the cost.

* * *

**Chapter 20 Biohazard Alert**

* * *

Lola Martinez and Ashley Blake were going to try out and compete for yet another role. Here, they had to scream like a fury. Little wonder they kept on practising which costed their friends' nerves..

'Shut up!' Megan was almost over the edge.

Wendy sighed. 'If Ashley doesn't get the role, she'll make us responsible and feel her wrath for the rest of our teenage time. And Vince will be upset and crush our bones …'

Disgusted Megan nodded. 'And what if she makes the cast?'

Wendy trembled even more. 'Then Lola can't make it, she will be sad, and Drake will have to comfort her even more.' The imagination of Drake's ways of comforting Lola sent shock wave after shock wave down Wendy's spine, making her feel dizzy.

Megan didn't like that picture either. It seems that they were holding the wolf by the ears. 'As if it weren't bad enough to have to hear about Josh's scientific progresses.'

'What are they doing?' Wendy asked.

'Quinn and Josh are cultivating some new bacteria. I don't know what it's good for …' Megan sighed.

Another scream from Ashley's throat thundered across the dormitory hall.

Wendy turned the PCA news on.

'This is Jeremiah Trottman. There's a brand new message from Bell Hall. Biohazard alert has been triggered. Dorm 69 has been declared under quarantine for some yet undetermined time. No one is allowed to access or leave said dormitory. The exact reasons are hitherto unknown.'

'Oh my God!' Wendy fell through the roof. 'That's Drake's and Josh's dorm!'

Megan was consternated. She moaned with disgust. Then she took her cellular phone and dialed Drake's number. 'I hope that his battery doesn't run out as long as the quarantine lasts …'

'Turn loudspeaker mode on!' Wendy told Megan.

Megan nodded.

'Drake Parker …' a voice came from the phone.

'OK, Drake … I've heard the news …' Megan sighed with excitement.

'Drake appeared shocked. Josh and I, and Quinn and Lola, we're trapped in Bell 69.' Drake declared.

Megan moaned with mental pain. 'How did that happen?'

'Josh and Quinn experimented with some strange microbes. Lola screamed in order to practise for her cast. Josh startled, and he dropped the test tube …' Drake explained.

Quinn explained some details about those microbes, but nobody wanted to hear them.

'Do you need anything?' Megan wondered.

The quarantined pupils named their favourite food.

Lola also needed her cosmetic set.

Quinn needed her scientific records.

'OK, I know it's illegal to break the quarantine, but I will see what I can do …' She sighed.

* * *

Megan and Dustin walked into 101 Brendan Hall. 'Zoey!'

Zoey sighed bitterly. 'Why can't Lola try out for The Silence of the Lambs instead of that screaming movie? Now I'll be lonely for a few days … if that's enough.'

'We're going to sneak some baby food into Drake's and Josh's dorm!' Dustin beamed proudly.

'Somewhere in Quinn's closet …' Megan said.

Zoey showed them to the closet. 'I haven't got any time left. I've got a date with Danny, at 7.p.m. over at the campus cinema … and maybe more after the movie.' She smiled suggestively.

'Danny?' Dustin was consternated. 'Who is Danny?'

Zoey swooned. 'I don't know anything, not even his surname … But he's some incredibly cute guy!'

Megan didn't get it. 'Two of your best friends are in quarantine, and the best you can do is thinking about a date with a guy you don't really know?'

'I know that he's so cute!' Zoey beamed.

Dustin went pale. He had hoped that Zoey would be more careful with dates and finally choose Chase, but this hitherto unbeknownst Danny had reduced all his hopes to naught. He started sobbing.

Megan shook her head. 'Zoey!' She thundered while she sacked the content of Quinn's and Lola's closets.

Zoey startled. 'What?'

'You've become like Nicole!' Megan hissed.

Dustin threw up at the thought of Zoey having turned into a bimbo wench.

Zoey looked consternated. Being conferred to Nicole was nothing she had expected and had wanted to go through.

Megan and Dustin disappeared with the loot.

'Have I really sunk that low?' Zoey sighed bitterly.

* * *

Zoey walked out on the campus, bound for the cinema.

Maria, a girl of her literature class, sat in the shadows of an oaken tree and made a painting.

'What are you drawing?' Zoey wondered. She took a look at the painting. 'Mark del Figgalo?'

Maria nodded.

'Del Figgalo is the new Mona Lisa!' Zoey admired Maria's talent. 'You will be great!'

Maria sighed. 'As a hungry artist that eats dog food on the back seat of a rusty car?' She started singing some song. [20:1]

* * *

Went to school and studied arts  
To be an artist, make a start.  
Worked so hard for my degree  
Yet they did not notice me.

Painter Girl, painter girl  
Who wants to be a painter girl?

* * *

Zoey sighed. 'I want to be a fashion designer. That's also some sort of arts.'

Maria nodded solemnly and moaned.

* * *

Tried wall papers, comic books  
Dirty mangas would have done  
Here was where the money laid  
Classic art has had its day

* * *

Zoey sighed deeply. Was she ever going to sink as low as the song suggested? She waved at Maria and walked on.

When she finally met Danny, she had turned completely apathetic.

'If you don't like me, we don't have to do that!' Danny remarked, shrugging helplessly.

Zoey walked back to her dorm and sank into her bed. It was going to be a lonely night without Quinn and Lola.

* * *

Megan snuck into dorm 69 Bell Hall.

Drake and Josh were astonished.

'They have stung us with a 4 inch needle!' Lola shivered.

'I hate painful injections!' Drake confirmed.

Quinn and Josh kept discussing about the biological characteristics of their bacteria. The laboratory of the Biohazrd Group had to examine it in order to decide about its danger, and the future of the four kids.

'Baby food!' Josh smiled. 'Yummy!'

'Howe did you make it past the security guards?' Quinn wondered.

Megan snickered and whistled innocently. 'Aw, Dustin has distracted them with gummi worms!'

* * *

Vince Blake was downright annoyed by the circumstances that kept him locked out of his own dorm, and so were all the other regular inhabitants of Bell Hall who didn't happen to be Drake and Josh.

Calvin, the coffee vendor, was among them.

'For 10 bucks, I let you sleep in my dorm!' Logan Reese offered Vince and Calvin.

'In a bed?' Calvin wondered.

Logan shook his head. 'On the floor … For a few bucks more, I'll boot Chase and Michael, and you may get their beds.' He grinned satanically.

Along came Ashley. She hugged her big brother.

Vince hugged Ashley back. 'Hi baby! What's up?'

'Megan and Wendy are going to spend the night in Zoey's dorm. You may move in with me for the time being.'

Logan sighed because his business had gone down the drain.

'You will find a lot of fools who accept your offer gladly, and even pay more, Logs!' Ashley smiled sweetly at Logan.

Logan grinned. 'I think so!' He walked away and repeated his greedy proposal to other pupils that had been locked out. The prices went up: Craig Ramirez and Eric Blonowitz were forced to pay 20 bucks for a place under the bed.

Vince was slightly confused. Ashley and Logan? What was going on there?

* * *

The next morning, the Bio-Hazard Team had to cancel the alert. The bacteria were apparently harmless, weren't they?

Drake and Lola walked out on the campus, hand in hand.

Josh and Quinn did the same. They encountered Firewire and Mindy who were sitting by the fountain, hugging tightly.

'Ohm I've cloned your bacteria!' Mindy told Quinn. 'next time, they will be less harmless …'

Megan and Dustin snickered when they passed by the fountain.

'What did you need the green stuff from Quinn's closet for?' Dustin asked Megan.

'Oh, you will see that soon enough … hey, isn't that Stacey Dillsen?' Megan pointed at some very sad girl.

Dustin nodded.

Stacey kept on weeping. 'That was the third boy that I've lost this year. They always run away when I start to talk about my hobbies: cotton swab arts, star gazing, …'

Megan walked up to Stacey. 'Maybe you just look at the wrong boys? I guess if you talk to boys in the astronomic observatory or in the sculpture club, you'll be much better off.'

Stacey scratched her head. 'Do you really think so?'

Megan nodded solemnly.

* * *

Mrs. Hayfer had been looking for Dr. Glazer in the infirmary. She showed him her hands.

'Oh my god, they are all green, that means …' Dr. Glazer startled. 'Derma Temiculitis![20:2] '

Mrs. Hayfer was flabbergasted.

'Only some painful injections in the hands and feet are going to cure this!' He looked for a ten-inch syringe.

screamed and ran away, fleeing for good from the campus.

* * *

'That's where the green stuff went?' Dustin asked Megan chuckling.

Megan nodded. 'Mrs. Hayfer is such a boobette … she is so easy to fool.'

* * *

Dean Rivers was still all bandaged, but he didn't hesitate and returned to his office without delay.

* * *

**Chapter 21 Logan's Grandpa**

* * *

Dustin met Megan in the lounge. 'Zoey is so sad because she has got a C in Chemistry, and she can't afford anything worse than a B in any subject.'

Megan shrugged. 'Will she get a tutor?'

'Quinn certainly could do that, but she's terrible. You need a degree from Caltech in order to understand her talk …' Dustin sighed.

Megan nodded. 'Josh would be similar, as we've seen when the was our student teacher.'

Janie intervened. 'But when we had to find something against the stink of skunks …'

'That's because it was interesting …' Jack sighed. 'But if it comes down to boring stuff, and it's not a lab class …'

'But with a C, she won't even be admitted to lab classes …' Dustin sighed bitterly. 'And then she will become a hungry artist that eats dog food in the back of a rusty car.'

Megan tickled her Cuban hamster. 'Aw my little Harvey … oops, of course Dustin is a lot sweeter.'

Dustin smiled. 'Hey, why is your hamster;s tummy bulging?'

'Maybe she's pregnant?' Jack guessed. He had to scrutinise the pet and discovered that it was indeed a female hamster, a fact hitherto unbeknownst to Megan.

Wendy remarked that Megan only had that one hamster, and she would have needed a male one, too, for that to happen.

Jack shrugged helplessly.

* * *

Lola stormed into Drake's dorm. 'Hey! Have you seen a rat?'

Drake shivered.

Josh wondered. 'Quinn's test rat? I think it has escaped a few weeks ago … '

Lola nodded. 'But we've found gnawed things in our dorm …'

Drake looked at his closet door which showed rodent marks. 'Such as this?'

Lola nodded solemnly while she snuggled up to Drake.

* * *

Chase was consternated. He had seen Zoey and Logan, alone in Zoey's dorm. Afterwards, he had asked Logan, getting him to boast about dating Zoey.

Logan had forced Chase to watch them from the shrubbery. Logan and Zoey had talked about the right chemistry between them, or stuff like that.

Chase was going to throw up, and he reached Megan's dorm right in time. Fortunately, Dustin was there. After discharging his stomach, Chase told Dustin about his observations.

'Are you sure?'Dustin wondered. 'Disgusting indeed … I can't let Zoey date such a perverse jerk! Glenn and Danny were bad enough, but Logan hits the bottom.'

Megan scratched her head. 'Chemistry?'

Chase shrugged.

Megan remembered something. 'Maybe Logan is Zoey's tutor for chemistry? She needs one …'

Chase laughed. 'Logan and Chemistry? Laugh!' He rolled on the floor, right in his own vomit.

Megan chuckled. 'Logan maybe, but not his grandpa …'

Wendy grinned. 'Logan's grandpa has been at Caltech for two decades! He has written several text books about Chemistry..'

Megan nodded. 'Josh gave us one to read, so we've done a bit of a research …'

Michael bounded in, looking for Chase. He saw him lying in his puke, and he had to throw up, right above his best mate, covering him with an even worse stink.

Wendy went and fetched some detergents from the janitor's.

'Logan has never talked about his grandpa …' Chase moaned while Wendy poured a can of detergents all over him.

'he's probably ashamed of having a science freak in his family …' Michael remarked. Then he thanked Wendy.

'Teach me composition, in turn?' Wendy asked Michael. She wanted to become Drake's composer and producer.

'OK …' Michael smiled. 'Why not?'

Wendy hugged Michael.

Dustin screamed. 'A rat!'

Michael looked into the corner. 'That must be Quinn's!'

Megan nodded. 'Her rat has disappeared a few weeks ago.'

Wendy looked at Harvey's cage. 'Hey! We've guessed right …' She pointed at the cage where two baby rodents were lying around.

Dustin had run away because he was afraid of rats. 'Zoey!' he yelled.

Janie entered the dorm, followed by the Baldwin twins.

Chase was an even bigger coward and jumped out the window.

Michael took his cellular phone and started to dial Quinn's number. 'She should catch her beast as soon as possible! And never ever get it out of her cage!'

Megan observed the rat standing at the cage wall and making out with Harvey.

Wendy scratched her head. 'Could the rat be the culprit?'

Megan caught the rat with one hand. 'OK, seems Quinn's pet has just become a daddy …'

'Hi Quinn …' Michael sighed. 'We've caught your rat. It is now in the cage of Megan's hamster … they seem to have got babies … OK, see you!' Michael sighed. 'Quinn will come over with her cage, and maybe we should leave the love rodents in the same room.'

* * *

Asley high fived with Logan. 'OK, so Chase really believed you?'

Logan beamed. 'He sure did! And I'm sure he had to throw up for that …' He grinned sadistically.

Ashley nodded. 'I know that you could do that!' She smiled and leant hear head against Logan's muscular chest. 'And as long as I'm officially too young for you, you may of course kiss other girls for fun!' She chuckled. 'It will also decoy Vince …'

Logan grinned. 'Will do!' He sighed with relief. 'As long as nobody gets to know that my grandpa was a nerd, the black sheep of the Reese dynasty.' He shuddered with disgust. 'I had to learn the periodic system by heart, at the age of five …'

Ashley comforted Logan. 'Once you're eighteen, you'll be a male model and won't have to care about any periodic system, period!' She rolled on the floor laughing.

Logan snickered noisily and high fived Ashley.

* * *

Megan and Quinn entered Zoey's dorm. 'Here are the two cages'

Lola and Zoey shrugged.

'One is for the hamster, the other for the rat!' Megan explained.

Lola trembled with fear.

Quinn smiled. 'Maybe the hamster will learn to dance, as well!'

'OK, Zoey … how is Logan as a tutor for chemistry?' Megan sked Zoey.

Lola and Quinn fell elsewhere, laughing their hindsides into oblivion.

Zoey sighed. 'Hey! Logan knows about chemistry … he hates it and could never do any research, but he knows about it. Mrs. Bromwell forced him to tutor me.' She shrugged.

'OK!' Megan sighed. 'I've figured that his grandpa had been a teacher at Caltech until recently. Josh once forced me to read a text book by Old Mr. Reese …'

Quinn banged her head against the wall. 'Oh yeah, that Reese. I should have known that …' She sighed deeply.

'Since when do you know that?' Lola wondered.

Megan told them about the discovery she made when Josh had been student teaching her chemistry class.

Zoey sighed. 'You should have come out with it earlier …'

Megan moaned. 'Properly … now Chase has believed that you and Logan were dating, and he has been turning sick from that.'

Zoey sighed with pity. 'It isn't too late to pay him back for this perverse deed, is it?'

Megan grinned. 'Never! He's so going to regret it!'

* * *

Still slightly bandaged, Dean Rivers crossed the campus.

Megan followed him. 'OK, Sir, given that the Reese family has kept on donating to the PCA foundation for two decades, wouldn't it be fair to name the chemistry lab after J. Reese, retired scholar at Caltech?'

Mr. Rivers beamed. 'It sure would! And I will do that!' He took his cellular phone. 'I'm going to talk to Mr. Bradford and Executive Chairman Berman about it, right now!'

Megan smiled sadistically. 'But please keep it secret until Logan'd birthday!'

Dean Rivers nodded.

* * *

Dean Rivers gave a speech. 'And for this reason, our chemistry lab will now be named for no other than Prof. Dr. Reese, father of Malcolm Reese and grandfather of Logan Reese!' He pulled a string, removing the blanket from a sculpture.

The pupils applauded when they saw a life-sized sculpture of Logan's grandpa, made of cotton swabs and white glue. It was going to be replaced with a cast iron sculpture within a few months.

Stacey Dillsen cheered and bounced around. It had been her hitherto greatest work.

Logan was flabbergasted. He doubled over and puked his stomach empty. Then he slumped to the ground and whimpered with excruciating pain.

Megan, Dustin, and Zoey high fived.

In addition, Dr. Reese declared himself ready to tutor Zoey in chemistry.

* * *

**Chapter 22 Moon Bars**

* * *

Down to Vincent Blake, the PCA football team had made it into the state finals.

The whole school was turning more and more euphorical and hysterical the closer the ultimate matches were coming.

Many pupils wondered how a dumb jock like Vince Blake was able to fulfill the high standards of the PCA, but they were glad that he did.

* * *

Megan shook her head. 'That's dumb … a bunch of jocks wrestling over a leathern egg … I just don't get the sense of it.'

Dustin nodded vigorously. Both he and Megan had been on the soccer team of the _Pacific Coast Academy_, and they had made the state finals, but nobody had cared to notice them.

'When Josh was the equipment manager of my school's football team, and he made brownies for the team, I've once added garden dirt to the cookie dough …' She grinned. 'That was fun.'

Dustin smiled. 'That would serve those jocks right!'

* * *

Vince had become the more unbearable for Drake and Josh the closer the final match came. 'Mind you, if we lose the match, because you losers kept me from preparing for it … ' Vince stared at Drake's guitar and at Josh's test tubes. 'Well, if anything like that happens, I andmy boys will make you pay for it!' He clinched his fists. 'Josh looks like a perfect punching ball …' He feigned a few fist strikes …

Drake and Josh trembled when Vince walked out through the door.

* * *

Zoey sighed. 'The youth of today eats too many unhealthy snacks.'

'That's because healthy snacks taste icky!' Lola grinned when she swallowed a chocolate doodle cake. 'Yummy!'

'You should be more careful!' Zoey sighed. 'Nobody wants a chubby actress!'

'I'm becoming chubby?' Lola was flabbergasted. She choked and coughed the half-chewed cake, spitting it out to the window - piece after piece.

Quinn remembered having read about healthy snacks from the East Coast called moon bars. 'No fat, low carbon hydrates …'

Zoey smiled. 'OK, let's order a bunch of them …'

* * *

Lola was visiting Drake and Josh in their dormitory.

'I don't mind you turning a bit chubby …' Drake shrugged. 'More to snuggle …' He cuddled Lola fondly, making her purr ecstatically in his arms.

Quinn bounded in. 'OK, there are the moon bars! Very healthy!' She smiled.

Lola, Quinn, Drake, and Josh shared a bar and took a bite.

Lola coughed. 'Icky!'

Drake, Josh, and Quinn agreed wholeheartedly.

Dustin and Megan bounded in. 'Cool … new snacks!'

Drake had just recovered from the attempt upon his tongue. 'They tastelike crap.'

'Would you like to help me make them tastier?' Quinn asked Josh. 'I guess that some cactus juice might help …'

Dustin had a better idea about what to do with the bars. They looked quizzically at each other and started whistling innocently.

Josh smiled. 'Sure, honey!'

* * *

Dustin stumbled into Chase's dorm, looking in vain for Zoey.

Chase told Dustin about something that he had seen.

'Vince Blake did what?' Dustin screamed.

Chase told him to keep quiet. 'He copied the history test.'

'The school has strict rules against that!' Dustin exclaimed. 'You have to tell it to Dean Rivers!'

Alas, Chase was quite a coward. 'I've talked about it to Logan and Michael, and they told me to shut up!' he sighed. 'Either this, or the whole school will hate me because of having spoilt the football championship.'

'Not fair!' Dustin screamed.

* * *

'Grrrr!' Megan shook her head. 'If those big boys are too much of a coward to stand up, we'll have to fix it our way …' She grinned.

'Moon bars?' Dustin chuckled.

Megan nodded. 'Ashley is over at Vaccaro's with Vince, they won't be back before midnight. So let's plan carefully …'

Dustin remarked: 'Vaccaro's? Isn't that a very expensive restaurant?'

Megan nodded and sighed. 'No normal pupil may afford it, especially on lobster days like today. But Vince gets credit everywhere … he just needs to plaster his football star smile, and boom … ' She stomped her feet.

Dustin whimpered. 'Scooter is the equipment manager of the football team …'

Megan nodded. 'OK, I hope he supports our plans … by the way, I've done some research about moon bars … they write that the combination of moonbars and lobsters has very hazardous effects on people's health ….'

Dustin beamed like a supernova. 'Cool!'

* * *

'Emergency! Emergency! Paging Dr. Glazer!' Coach Keller yelled into the cellular phone. 'I'm the trainer of the football team. Five of my players all of a sudden suffer from a strange stomach disease …' He jumped out through the window, as the floor of the cabin of the football door was covered with the stinky contents of the stomachs of some of the football players.

Vince Blake felt particularly sick, he bitched and moaned like a little baby.

A few minutes later, Dr. Glazer arrived. He scrutinised the pain-shaken players. 'OK most of you will be fit soon again, but a few of you, especially …' He pointed at Vince Blake … 'you will have to stay in hospital for the next days, and no sports for four weeks …'

The team was consternated. This meant that Vince and a few others were not going to be available for the playoff finals. The team was doomed to lose out badly.

'500 bucks!' Dr. Glazer commanded the players.

* * *

'Sooner or later, they will find out that it was down to the snacks that I've given unto them …' Robby Scooter Carmichael shivered.

'Not if we win the championship …' Megan grinned. 'We just need suitable subbers …'

* * *

'Vince is in hospital!' Josh smiled, high fiving with Drake.

Drake smiled with relief: Two silent weeks. Alas …

The door opened. Craig Ramirez and Eric Blonowitz bounded in. 'Mrs. Burvich told us to stay here for the next weeks … the closet we've lived in is now under repair.'

Drake and Josh faked a welcoming smile while they shivered with outright disgust.

Megan bounded in. 'Hi boobs! Coach Keller …'

Keller entered the dorm as well.

'OK …' Megan smiled. 'These are the four substitute players that I've promised unto you!'

'What?' Coach Keller and the boys were flabbergasted.

* * *

The day of the match had come. Not many students of the PCA had been looking forward to it and attended the battle. Most of the Stingray fans crowded the Pacific Coast Hospital in an attempt to see their tragic hero, Vince Blake.

Coach Keller was too much of a coward to watch his own team losing.

Megan stood at the sidelines. 'Where's the team spirit of the Stingrays?' She grinned while she unpacked her oboe.

Dustin raised his hand, a signal for some others.

Lisa Perkins, a crush of Michael Barret, was ready to sing something.

Chase met Addie on the way to his seat. 'You're playing the guitar?'.

Addie nodded when she saw that Chase played one, as well.

Quinn Pensky started blowing her trombone.

Upon Dustin's command, Lisa started to sing.

* * *

Take me to the matador!  
People know just what it's for!  
He can help with everything!  
He can open every door![22:1]

* * *

The few spectators started cheering fanatically for the Stingrays and sing along.

* * *

He can help me with muse  
In this age of win and lose.  
When the bull is in the ring  
You need all the help you can  
And the mariachis sing  
To Chase and Addie's mandoline.

* * *

The spectators started boiling from passion.

* * *

See some thousand violins  
Oboes and trombones soar on high  
Waves and waves of joyful hymns  
Silver sonnets reach the sky.

* * *

Down on the pitch, several opponents fell prey to Eric Blonowitz who, unaware of what he was doing, punched the opponents left and right, cheered by the fans.[22:2]

In the end, the Stingrays beat the opponents eight to nil: Josh had assured the touchdown without knowing what he was doing.

The girls flocked in droves around Eric Blonowitz who, untouched by the whole fuss, kept on telling true jokes that didn't interest anyone.

* * *

When the news about the victory reached the Pacific Coast Hospital, Vince's fame was over. Noone but Ashley cared about him anymore.

[[30] ]adapting Jeffries and Garlands: Take me to the matador! which I don't own.

[[31] ]cf. Eric punches Drake

* * *

**Chapter 23 Rhythmic Gymnastics**

* * *

Megan and Ashely were playing Scrabbles.

Megan flunked more or less on pupose, as she felt sad for Ashley. Ruining Vincent's prestige had also had an adversary effect on Ashley's mood which had not been envisioned by the strategic genius that was Megan.

Ashley sobbed. 'I've retired from the role as a screaming fury!'

This filled Megan with sadness. She had suffered a lot when Ashley was practising screaming. It was not the case that she didn't approve of her future sister-in-law, i.e. Lola Martinez, making the cast, but did that have to be such a pain for Ashley? Megan knew that Ashley's dream of being in the spot lights had started when she was in kindergarten. back then, she had been at Vincent's throat, and vice versa, and it was not until both of them had become starts in their business that they appeared as close as Megan knew them.

* * *

Drake returned to his dormitory room.

Josh had been waiting, experimenting with a magnet and some bubbling liquid. 'Hey! I'm going to examine the influence of magnetic fields on the colour of this solution of …' He named some long chemical formula that boldly exceeded the capacity of Drake's brain.

'The Silver hammers have knocked Lola!' Drake smiled.

'The who?' Josh shrugged.

Drake explained that those silver hammers were some society like the Rotarians who start to accept members at the age of 15 and above. 'Many of them become movie stars …' Drake grinned.

'Who cares …' Josh shrugged.

'Politicians, scientists …' Drake grinned even more.

Josh's eyes bugged out. 'Why don't they knock me and Quinn?' Josh screamed.

'They don't want freaks!' Drake boomed tauntingly.

Josh sighed deeply.

* * *

Megan strolled the campus. She saw a new girl, whose name was going to turn out as Sarah, talking to people on the campus. Quinn was nearby, and Sarah made her nervvous. Megan made out that Sarah thought Quinn being somewhat familiar to her, but Quinn denied that nervously. Megan concluded that there was something fishy.

* * *

'Drake, I think that Sarah, that new girl, is up to some trouble for Quinn …' Megan told her elder brother.

Drake shrugged.

'She might be able to blackmail Quinn … and Josh may suffer from that!' megan gave Drake to think.

This convinced the cool boob. 'OK, you're right, we need to know what that Sarah girl is up to!'

Drake and Megan high fived.

* * *

Megan had been snooping Quinn wherever she went. She had been commanding her friends — including especially Josh — explicitly not to talk to her! Megan was badly reminded to Rebecca telling Chase to stay away from Zoey. Oh my god! Was Sarah a lesbian lover of Quinn? Megan threw up at the thought. Josh needed to know about it!

* * *

Drake grabbed Josh. 'There's something fishy with Quinn!'

'You wish!' Josh boomed. 'Lola is fishy when she joins such a stupid secret club!'

Drake and Josh wrestled on the floor.

Lola entered the dorm. 'Erm … what's that?'

Drake denied what had been going on, and he jumped up. 'Hi honey … oh, you don't seem happy?'

Lola sobbed. 'The silver hammers …' She continued stammering. 'In order to become a reall member, I have to … shave … the elders … from head to toe! '

Drake puked.

'And they are bad kissers …' Lola moaned. 'Downright suckish! So not like you!' She kissed Drake passionately.

'Aw sweetie!' Drake swooned. 'Maybe it's better for you not to join them, and thus upkeep your dignity!'

'Thanks, honey!' Lola sighed with relief. 'So you won't think of me as a loser if …'

Drake shook his head. 'Never!' Then he remembered the troubles with Quinn and Sarah. 'Lola, I need your help …'

'Alwaysand ever, honeycake!' Lola smiled.

Drake sighed. 'Yo u share a dormitory with Quinn … did you ever get the impression that Quinn …'

'What?' Lola shrugged.

It was harder for Drake to talk about it than he thought. 'Megan and I, we believe that Quinn is a lesbian, and that Sarah, as her ex-lover, blackmails her for that.'

Lola had never had that impression, but now, as Drake had started talking about it … 'Hey! There was the night she spent with Nicole on a couch …' The more Lola had to think about it, the more situations she knew of which were able to confirm Drake's suspicion. 'I have to warn Zoey, and I need to get out of Quinn's dorm before she rapes me!' Lola screamed even worse than during the week when she had practised for that cast. Then she fled like a skittish horse.

Josh still refused to believe it.

* * *

Zoey and Lola had left Quinn's dorm. Quinn screamed and sobbed. 'Why, oh why?' Was it due to her bubbly experiments? She shrugged. Suddenly, a net closed around Quinn, and she found herself in suspense from the ceiling.

Drake and Megan showed up. 'OK, Quinn!'

'What do you want?' Quinn shivered.

'Fess up!' Megan yelled.

'With what?' Quinn shrugged.

Megan commanded Drake to apply tickle torture upon Quinn. She needed to get Quinn to confess explicitly, otherwise Josh was never going to believe Drake and herself.

Quinn chuckled insanely. 'What?'

'Confess that you're a lesb, and that Sarah is your ex!' Drake thundered, making Megan nod solemnly.

Quinn grinned. 'No!' How could Drake and Megan be that dumb?

Megan was annoyed. 'So why does Sarah blackmail you? And you tell all your friends to avoid her?'

Quinn sighed. 'OK. When I was in kindergarten, I've participated in a beauty contest, combined with rhythmic gymnastics … it's so embarassing … but it's over! Sarah just happens to have been in one of those contests, too.' She sobbed. 'Now that Josh will know it, he will ditch me for my dark past.' She started weeping.

'So what?' Megan boomed while she let Quinn's net plummet to the floor. 'I could tell you things about Josh, such as …'

Drake chimed in. 'Do you know that Josh performs silly dances? And magic tricks?'

Megan chuckled. 'And still, Josh is as much of an enthusiastic scientist as you are. He can't hate you for all of that!'

Drake shook his head in disbelief.

Josh bounded in and cuddled Quinn who had just made it out of the trap.

* * *

Zoey met Dustin. 'Those silver hammers are charlatans.' She sighed. 'I had to feed them for a whole week, and now … they require to vote against one of our friends, just in order to get accepted.' Zoey shuddered with disgust. 'Not with me! It was horrible enough to know that Quinn is a moral danger for me and Lola!'

'Zoey!' Dustin sobbed. 'Megan had jumped to conclusion.' He started weeping because his girlfriend had been in error. 'But I would possibly do the same if you had a boyfriend and …'

Zoey sighed and she hugged Dustin. 'Aw baby! You're still the best little brother in the world! I might have done the same for you.'

* * *

Drake and Megan felt ashamed.

'How may we ever make up for that?' Drake wondered.

Megan scratched her head and pondered. 'Let's buy promise rings for Josh and Quinn!' She smiled. 'If you dare to go shopping with your mischievous little sister, that is …'

Drake sighed. 'It's OK …' He huggled Megan.

* * *

**Chapter 24 The Wild Hunt**

* * *

Lola and Quinn had called Drake and Josh into the lounge.

Quinn started explaining. 'OK, Lola and I, we had a talk about kissing.'

'Quinn has got such a theory …'

'A theory!' Josh beamed. 'I love theories!'

Lola nodded. 'Quinn thinks it is theorietically possible to recognise good kissers from the way they an apple.'

'Yeah!' Quinn grinned. 'And now we need to prove this theory with experiments.'

Josh beamed. 'That's deductive reasoning!'

Quinn hugged her beloved Josh. 'I knew that you would know it! I even believe that the whole Adam and Eve and the snake thing is based on this simple fact!'

Lola produced a plate with some apples on top. 'OK. Everyone knows that Drake is the best kisser.' She smooched Drake's face off.

Drake beamed proudly.

'Would you please have an apple, darling?'Lola asked Drake.

'Sure, sweetie!' Drake grabbed an apple and took a bite.

'Now I'm going to kiss various boys … ' Lola announced. 'After they took a bite from an apple. I'll judge the boys' kissing ability on a scale from zilch to ten.' Lola beamed proudly.

'We will compare the kisses to the bites, and determine the correlation coefficient …' Quinn told Josh who nodded understandingly.

'Nine and a half for Drake's kiss!' Lola announced, making Drake pout. She wanted to provocate him into kissing her again, proving that he can do better.

* * *

Half an hour later, Lola had tested a dozen of boys. 'That Lafe guy got 8 and a half points …'

Drake sighed. 'The competition gets stronger …'

Dustin and Megan walked along. 'We've heard that a former PCA student named Charles Galloway had fled from Mr. Hodgens into the barren wastelands of Redstone Gulch. He is supposed to have died there …'

Drake shrugged.

'Zoey, Chase, Michael, and Logan want to prove that.' Megan sighed. 'But they don't know how to find Redstone Gulch!'

Lafe offered his help, displaying a boasting posture.

Megan asked lafe for his credentials, but he had none. 'Sorry, it's a dangerous trip, and we need an expert guide, such as …' Megan glared at Josh.

Josh sighed. 'OK, I've been a ranger scout adviser, back in San Diego. I've learnt a lot from dad.'

Megan smiled. 'OK, I think he's the best man for this job.'

Quinn nodded. 'If Josh leads us, I'll come with you … it's time for testing some new Quinnventions …'

* * *

It was a long and tough walk.

Fortunately, Josh's skilled way of handling compass and sextant prevented the group from getting lost in the desert of desolation.

Quinn took some of her quinnvention. 'This is a quinnocular. It allows you to look through things!'

With Quinn's various inventions, it was easy to locate the tomb of Charles Galloway, and, discovering a hidden inscription in his medallion, they were able to identify the belongings of the deceased alumnus.

Against the will of the rest of the group, Logan grabbed the medallion and hid it in his pocket. It was going to serve him as a proof that the legend about Charles Galloway was true. Logan planned on making a movie about it that hit the records.

Suddenly on their way back to the Pepperdine Beach, a green tornado appeared, surrounding Josh, Drake, and their friends. They had no clue what was going on.

* * *

The middle school kids had stayed on campus.

Dustin was terribly worried about his sister.

Wendy was equally worried about Drake.

Even Megan sobbed at the thought of her boobs being lost in the barren wastelands of desolation.

Craig and Eric came along.

'Hey, cool, we've just been in the astronomical observatory …' Eric explained.

Craig chuckeld. 'I've never seen a green whirling galaxy, so close to us … '

Eric chuckled.

Dustin and Megan stared at each other. They decided to go to the observatory.

* * *

Megan looked through the telescope, and then she passed it to Dustin. She was flabbergasted. 'The wild hunt …' She sobbed. 'Drake, Josh, Zoey and their friends are lost!'

'The … wild … hunt?' Dustin stammered, his voice trembling with agony.

Megan nodded sadly. 'It happens when you disturb the peace of a cursed tomb!'

Dustin started weeping. 'I don't want Zoey to die. She's so young, and I need her.'

Megan hugged Dustin. 'I don't want Drake and Josh to bite the dust, either.' She sobbed.

Wendy urged Megan and Dustin to save Drake, first of all.

Ashley wouldn't have minded losing her worst rival, Lola Martinez, to the wild hunt, but Logan Reese might have gone down with her.

* * *

Hand in hand, Megan and Dustin left the campus and stormed towards the barren braes that lead up to Redstone Gulch. They felt the tension in the air, shuddering with downright terror. The feeling intensified the closer they came to the green tornado that had engulfed the participants of the field trip.

Finally, the infortunate travellers were in sight, yet blurred by some swirly green ghastly mass that caused a demonic sound.

Megan grabbed her oboe. 'Let's hope the ghost riders are afraid of the last judgement …' She sighed and breathed deeply before starting to play.

Dustin sang along.[24:1]

* * *

Dies Irae, dies illa  
Solvet saeclum in favilla  
teste David cum Sibylla  
Quantus tremor est futurus  
Quando Iudex est venturus  
Cuncta stricte discussurus  
Tuba mirum spargens sonum  
Per sepulcra regionum  
Coget omnes ante thronum.[24:2]

* * *

The green tornado dissolved for the time being, but Dustin and Megan still felt the trembling in the air.

'The terror may be back any time!' Megan grimaced at the culprits who must have sacked a cursed tomb.

Zoey huggled Dustin. 'You're my little hero, baby.'

Drake and Josh treated Megan the same way.

* * *

Wendy was totally glad when Drake was back, alive and safe.

Logan met Ashley. 'Hey, look what I've fetched from the tomb of Galloway …' He showed her the medallion. 'The proof for our story …'

Ashley's eyes bugged out. 'Wow!'

He wrapped the medallion around Ashley's throat, remarking that it looked so good on her.

Ashley beamed brightly.

Zoey noticed that Logan had dragged the medallion all the way from Redstone Gulch back to the campus. 'That's the reason for all the horror!'

Michael, Chase, Lola, and Quinn were upset. They kicked Logan hard, forcing him to spend the night outside the campus.

Ashley accompanied him.

* * *

The day after, Mr. Hodgens was unable to give classes, hence the test was postponed. He had been dreaming of ghost riders, and needed a sanity check.

* * *

**Chapter 25 Chuck Javers**

* * *

'Hey boobs!' Megan bounded into Drake's and Josh's dormitory.

Drake beamed. 'The wrestling coach has called me into the team!'

'Cool!' Megan smiled proudly.

'Me too!' Josh boasted. 'I'm a man! A manly man!'

Megan had her doubts about the coach's sanity, but Coack Keller had swallowed the same pupils, as well, so …

'We too!' Craig and Eric declared unison.

'I hope you train well, and don't put our school to shame!' Megan shrugged and sighed. Where was that coming to?

* * *

Dustin entered Megan's dorm where she was already waiting.

Megan huggled Dustin. 'Hi, honeycake!'

'Megs …' Dustin sounded sad.

'Oh, sorry, what's up?' Megan was worried.

Dustin sobbed. 'Zoey has been called into the wrestling team …'

Megan shrugged. 'You should be proud of it!'

Dustin sighed. 'I would be, but …' Dustin was close to weeping. 'She would have to fight Chuck Javers in the next tournament. And that's a murder machine! '

Megan was dismayed. She understood that Dustin did not want to get Zoey ground and squished by some serial killer. She looked up Chuck Javers on the internet. '300 early victiries in six months, average duration: 10 seconds …' She sighed deeply. She didn't hope that Drake and Josh were going to face some similar serial murderer. Megan spent hours studying the rules and prospects for the upcoming wrestling championship.

Dustin was impatient.

'Here we have an interesting rule …' megan beamed. 'An injured wrestler may be replaced with a healthy one during the tournament!'

Dustin wondered how this was going to help Zoey.

'She must pretend being injured and she will be replaced.' Megan smiled. '… before the battle with Javers! Maybe that's even the strategy of the coach!' Megan imagined that the boobs and the freaks were equally meant to be fodder to be replaced.

Dustin sighed. 'Zoey isn't one to give up …'

Megan nodded. 'As much as I admire your sister for that, here it would be for the better of herself if she gave up …' Megan sighed with despair.

Dustin agreed.

Megan shrugged. Whom should the PCA team make sub for Zoey? Certainly not that weakling Scott that the coach had chosen. Properly, Megan knew that only one person could save the PCA team …

* * *

Drake had studied the program of the championshhip. 'I have to fight against a girl named Lucie. [25:1]'

'And so?' Lola shrugged while she snuggled comfily on Drake's lap, purring sweetly.

'I can't fight a girl!' Drake sighed. 'If I lose, I'm a weakling and the laughing stock of the whole school, if I win, everyone will hate me for beating a girl!'

Lola shrugged. 'I can't hate you! But if you just give up, I'll be a bit disappointed. And don't kiss her too often during the fight, please …'

Drake chuckled. 'Only thrice, promised!'

'Zoey is on the team, too!' Lola smiled. 'What do you think about me being the co-contemplator of the tournament?'

'Cool!' Drake beamed. 'Unless you make out with Trottman for that …'

Lola choked and coughed.

* * *

Quinn had disposed with the regular co-commentator, allowing Lola to take his place.

'Hi!' Lola grinned. 'My dad is a coach … and my cousin is a wrestler!' Lola boomed.

Trottman nodded solemnly. 'OK, the stats for Drake Parker.'

'What are stats?' Lola was clueless.

'Infos' Trottman shrugged.

'Oh, Drake Parker, he's incredicly cute, he rocks, and he's the best kisser west of the Mississippi!' Lola beamed.

Trottman was despaired.

Drake and Lucy were definitely peer fighters.

Megan blew _Toréador en Garde!_[25:2] on her oboe. She didn't want Drake to lose, but he needed to learn a lesson about girls.

The battle went full length, and the umpires had to decide.

Drake had lost closely.

Lola ran over to Drake, comforting him tenderly.

* * *

Josh was only a sub that never made it into the ring.

The same was valid for Craig Ramirez.

Eric Blonowitz was plain disappointing. He had been flung out the ring after like three seconds, landing with a thud on Stacey and her latest cotton swab model.

Stacey sobbed piteously. After the football match, she had been swooning for Eric because of his strong arms. He had appeared to punch the opponents left and right. Now she had been proven totally wrong.

Eric sighed. 'Sorry, m'lady! May I help you repair it?'

Stacey could not stop weeping.

Eric shrugged. 'But I have to go to the star observatory first. It closes down in an hour.'

Stacey stobbed weeping. 'Did you say star observatory?' She almost beamed. 'I love astronomy. I've got my own little telescope and spend a lot of time watching the planets. My favourite planets are …'

Eric smiled. 'I sure like that. Maybe we could watch the stars together?'

Stacey beamed. 'Sure!' She cuddled with Eric. 'You're such a cool guy!'

* * *

None of the guys had dared to fight Zoey Brooks. Those jerks had all chicked out. Fighting a girl would have been considered uncool.

Alas, Zoey was now in front of her final match against Chuck Javers. And she'd rather get turned into ground beef than back out.

The PCA's coach told the jurors that Zoey was injured, which was clearly not the case.

Dustin stood at the sidelines. Suddenly, the flang an empty banana peel right in front of Zoey, making her slip, flounder, reel, stagger, and slump to the floor. Now she had to be replaced.

Zoey was downright upset. 'Dustin! How could you do that?'

Scott, the regular subber for Zoey, chicked out when he saw Chuck Javers smashing a camera with his little finger.

There was nobody left to face Chuck Javers, and the PCA team had to be disqualified, right?

In this moment, the backdoor opened. Ashley Blake bounded in, showing a V for victory with her fingers.

Megan smiled. The reinforcement for the Stingray team which she had ordered had just arrived: Vincent Blake!

Vincent stumbled into the ring. He had just escaped from hospital, righ in time for this match.

The two muscle beasts slammed into each other.

Megan blew her oboe, and Quinn blew her trombone. This helped Vince to keep Chuck down, after some long match, securing a victory for the Stingray team.

* * *

'Dustin just didn't want you to get killed by Chuck!' Megan told Zoey. 'It was for your own safety …'

Zoey sighed. She called Dustin and hugged him. 'Maybe I've really needed that …'

* * *

**Chapter 26 Dark Secrets**

* * *

Dustin stormed Megan's dormitory, all excited.

Megan was worried. 'What's up, sweetheart?'

Dustin moaned. 'Zoey gets blackmailed by some anonymous troll.' He sighed deeply. 'He or she must have found Zoey's balloon. In their psychology class, they had enclosed a dark secret of theirs in a balloon, and let it fly up to the sky …'

Megan nodded. 'OK, I've heard about that project.' She sighed. 'Do you know what was in Zoey's balloon?' Megan shrugged. 'You don't have to tell me even if you know.'

Dustin pondered a bit. 'It isn't her fault … she had been a naked model for some sun blocker when she was just a year old …'

Megan shook her head. 'Truly, it's really stupid to make fun of your sister for that!'

Dustin nodded.

'The only one that I know that would do that is Rebecca …' Megan concluded.

'We need to be careful with fast conclusions …' Dustin told Megan. 'After the thing with Quinn and that Sarah girl …'

Megan nodded solemnly. Her head still hurt from that incident. 'But we need to observe Rebecca!'

* * *

Megan stepped up to Rebecca. 'Are you blackmailing Dustin's sister?'

Rebecca grinned satanically. 'And so what?'

Steam billowed from Dustin's capital orifices.

'But now as you're already here … you may tell your sister that if she doesn't dance the Macalana[[36]] , this Saturday afternoon, I'm going to tell everyone her dirty secret.'

Dustin tried to leap forth and punch Rebecca right in the face.

Megan stopped him. 'Don't stain your fingers, please! She isn't worth it.' Then she walked away with Dustin.

Rebecca grinned even more.

* * *

Megan entered Zoey's dormitory. 'Hi! I've heard that Rebecca …'

Zoey sighed. 'If people know about it, I'll have to leave the school.'

Megan shrugged. 'Do you remember what happened to Quinn? Just because she didn't have the guts to tell her friends, we've jumped to idiotic conclusions that were even a trifle naughtier. Rather, I did …' She lowered her head in shame.

Zoey nodded. 'So you think I should better come out?'

Lola and Quinn came back into their room.

Megan nodded. 'Sure, you just need to manage that it's rather a lot of fun than massive embarassment.'

'So, what's your secret?' Lola asked Zoey.

Zoey kept silent.

Quinn sighed. 'OK … after you've all accused me of being a lesb … I bet that it's you and Lola being a lesbian couple!'

Lola and Zoey were flabbergasted. 'What?'

'Your hugs, your …' Quinn continued.

'Can't we stop it? It was a stupid conclusion!' Megan moaned.

Drake and Josh entered the room, looking for their girlfriends.

Megan grinned. 'Hi boob …' She looked at Drake. 'You are a walking discotheque, right?'

Drake nodded proudly.

'Do you know _The Macalana?_[_26:1_]' Megan asked.

'Sure!' Drake beamed. 'I love Macalana, she is so much like Lola, so incredibly hot and fiery …'

Lola smiled.

'I can do a lot of crazy dances!' Josh boasted. 'Maybe if we all do something crazy, it won't be so embarassing for Zoey …'

Megan nodded solemnly. 'That's it! Drake, you're going to play the Macalana. Then Zoey and everyone else is going to join Josh in dancing to it!'

'And then I'll tell you what was in my balloon!' Zoey smiled.

Quinn grinned. 'By the way, I wrote into my balloon that I've got six toes on my right foot.'

Zoey had known this already two years ago[26:2] , while Lola had seen it recently when she watched Quinn walking around with bare feet.

'Really?' Josh smiled. 'may I see it?'

Quinn nodded. 'OK …' She removed her right shoe and her right sock, flinging it into Drake's face.

Drake choked and coughed.

Josh beamed. 'Aw, what a sweet toe! Where is my little … er, what is the name of your extraneous toe?'

'I've called it Mr. Toe when I was young …' Quinn blushed.

'Where is my little Mr. Toe?' Josh started tickling that toe.

'Eeeeeeew!' Quinn cringed laughing. She was apparently particularly ticklish right over there. 'Hey, I like that!' She chuckled sweetly.

'I've written that I had problems with my first bra!' Lola grinned. 'Mom had to help me … that's so embarassing!'

Drake shrugged. 'So … how does one open it?'

'I'll tell you when we're married!' Lola replied.

Drake shrugged. 'I can wait!'

* * *

The event was about turning into a great success while dancing to the Macalana, following Josh's examples. The kids talked about their balloon secrets.

Drake told Chase and Addie to take over for a few minutes, which they did without any problem. He stepped up to Dustin. 'Hey, may you borrow me my sister for a dance?'

Dustin shrugged. 'OK …'

Megan was a bit surprised.

'Megs …' Drake sighed. 'I guess it's now the best moment for those cardboard boxes with a bow on it, those that we've bought for Quinn and Josh.'

Megan smiled. 'Sure! You're not that dumb for a boob!'

'Er .. yeah!' Drake smiled.

Rebecca was already depressed. She slumped onto her knees, cringing with despair.

Drake and Megan went to Josh and Quinn.

'Josh …' Drake told his step brother. 'Megan and I, we know that it was wrong having spread all those nasty rumours about Quinn and Sarah …'

'And therefore …' Megan sighed. 'We've bought something that you should like …'

Josh and Quinn took the cardboard boxes and opened them. They were flabbergasted and looked at each other.

'It was a bit embarassing when we've been in the shops looking for these …' Drake admitted. 'The salesman thought that Megan and I were a couple…' Drake stammered.

Megan chuckled with embarassment.

Josh and Quinn burst into laughter. Then they declared: 'OK!' whereupon they exchanged the rings and told some words of promise.

Josh pulled Quinn into an affectionat embrace that lasted for several minutes.

These solemn scenes were the last nails to be hammered home into Rebecca's coffin. She was going to disappear from the face of the country over night - for good.

* * *

**Chapter 27 A Million Rain Drops**

* * *

Chase sighed. His birthday was ahead, and he was sunk in his mid term assignments. Also, his grandmother had been born the same day of the year. They had been very close for she had been his baby sitter many times before he came to the boarding school. For this reason, he missed her badly, and he had to think about it every other minute.

* * *

Lola was addicted to fruit doodle cakes. She stepped up to a vendor machine and inserted a buck. It clicked, and the money was gone, but no candy showed up in the ejection orifice.

Drake passed by. 'Any problem, my doodlecake?'

Lola chuckled and explained what happened.

'We've got to beat the thing!' Drake slammed his fists against the machine, inciting Lola to do the same, but it was still in vain.

Quinn and Josh walked by.

'Beating doesn't cut it …' Quinn remarked. 'You've got to kick it!'

Quinn just got her sixth toe bruised.

Josh wondered whether they shouldn't file a complaint in the administration centre, but then he tried to slam his heavy head against the machine, but in vain. Now his skull was hurting.

Dustin and Megan walked by.

Megan chuckled her butt off.

'I might try to grab the cake with my hand …' Dustin showed his thin arm, thin enough to slip into the ejection shaft.

Megan shook her head. 'Oh no, my Japanese candy! You could get hurt … we need someone who is able to shake the machine rhythmically. And there's only one person at the PCA strong enough to …' Megan took her cellular phone and pushed the digits. 'Hi, Ashley, it's me, Megan … OK, we've got a problem with a vendor machine, it swallows our money and doesn't give us anything in turn, so we need Vincent …'

* * *

In the evening Ashley and Vince snuck to the vendor machine where Lola was already waiting. It was too dark for the teachers and campus security guards to notice anything.

Ashley was upset. 'Lola? Why did Megan not tell me that it was Lola's doodle cake?'

Lola grinned satanically.

Ashley grabbed Vince and tried to drag him away from the vendor machine.

Lola screamed with dismay and started weeping.

Vincent turned around, apparently against Ashley's will. He grabbed the machine, ready to shake it.

Ashley stared oddly at Vince.

'Ashley!' Vince commanded. 'Come here' He relaxed his grip on the machine. 'Didn't Malcolm say that there's enough place at Hollywood for two young stars? '!

Ashley went pale. She had already forgotten about it.

Vince also reminded Ashley that she wanted to switch to modelling once she was too old for tweenie movies.

Ashley lowered her head in shame.

'Now go and shake Lola's hand!' Vince commanded. Then he got ready to shake the machine.

Ashley shook Lola's hand hesitatingly.

Vince shook the thing, and … boom! … a few seconds from thence, a load of candy and bucks dropped out.

Ashley huggled Lola. 'Sorry!'

Vince snuck away and waved at the girls. 'I've got to go, a meeting with the football team …'

Lola and Ashley smiled and shared their loot evenly before they disappeared.

'Drake and I are giving a birthday party for Chase Matthews.' Lola told Ashley, smiling sweetly. 'Do you want to come? I'll say that my birthday present is also from you.'

'Sure!' Ashley beamed. Chase was the playwright in the theatre group, so she hoped to get him to write a piece just for her.

* * *

Zoey shrugged. She had been late for the party. She had tried to get Chase's grandma to attend it, but it didn't work out: The old lady had fallen sick. For this reason, Zoey was still ashamed because she didn't have any adequate gift for Chase's birthday.

'I know what sort of gift Chase would like most!' Dustin told Zoey. He was not invited to the party, but he accompanied his elder sister on the way there. 'Oh, there's Megan!' Dustin beamed when he saw Megan and her friends Addie and Wendy.

Zoey wanted to send Dustin off to Megan, but something appeared wrong with her face. 'Megan?'

Megan's heart beat like a sledge hammer. 'Sit down, Zoey, please!' She moaned with disgust. 'Chase's grandma … she has just … died …' Megan hated being the messenger of those news.

'What?' Zoey was consternated.

Dustin turned stiff.

'Someone has to tell him …' Megan sighed deeply. 'I didn't want that Rivers sent a heartless staff member to do so, thus I've begged him to let his friends do that … I wanted Michael, but you should be just fine, as well …' Megan felt bad.

Zoey nodded. with pain in her face. 'That's OK, noone loves being the one to …'

Megan sighed. 'And I've brought my friend Addie with me …' Megan sobbed. 'Her grand aunt had died two years ago, so she knows best how Chase feels. I think she can help him.'

Zoey nodded melancholically.

'Do you want me to play Amazing Grace for Chase on my oboe? ' Megan offered. 'Or Addie could play something with her guitar that means more to him.'

Zoey nodded. 'I know something …' She whispered a few words into Addie's ears, making her nod.

Wendy offered to talk Michael into letting the party go on. As few pupils as possible should get to know what happened, at least for the time being.

Zoey nodded solemnly.

* * *

Rain kept falling down.

Zoey had guided sobbing and weeping Chase out of the party hall.

Wendy had successfully got Michael to decoy the masses.

Addie stepped up to Chase. 'See, when my grand aunt Bertha died[27:1] I've been so shocked that I've even denied how sad I was. I've reacted totally quirky in order to cover my sadness.'

Chase sobbed bitterly.

'I think you better let it out … and Zoey asked me to play a song for you …' Addie sighed and strummed her guitar.

* * *

A million raindrops fallen on your face  
Just disappeared without a trace.[27:2]

* * *

Chase kept on sobbing. Alas, he felt so safe and warm in Addie's presence, even more when she tried talking about how she had come over her grandaunt's death.

* * *

**Chapter 28 JT Hawthorne**

* * *

The annual talent show of the middle school section of the Pacific Coast Academy was now just around the corner.

'Do you want to be my partner for the talent show?' Dustin asked Megan.

'Ummm … what are we doing?' Megan asked.

'Something magic, like sawing a virgin.' Dustin smiled.

'And the virgin would be me?' Megan supposed.

Dustin nodded.

'But we must make it really cool, like the great Henry Doheny![28:1] '

Dustin beamed. 'Yeah! That's what it will be …'

Megan grinned. 'Some fake blood would be cool!'

Dustin chuckled. 'Scooter would die if he saw blood …'

Megan grinned before she pecked Dustin's cheeks. 'We'll shock the audience!'

Dustin smiled.

Megan was suddenly a bit concerned. 'Zoey might turn hysterical if …'

Dustin shrugs. 'She won't be there … I think.'

'Why is it so?' Megan wondered.

Dustin sighed deeply. 'Zoey's favourite novelist, some J.T. Hawthorne, is coming to a book shop in Malibu. She has got to see her and hunt for an autograph …'

Megan sighed. 'OK, if that Hawthing means more to Zoey than her sweet little brother …' She petted Dustin's cheeks. 'But this means we don't have to fear flabbergasting her …'

In understanding what Megan was alluding to, Dustin started smiling.

* * *

Zoey needed desperately someone to take her to the book shop said Saturday night. Coco was only ready to take her there if Zoey achieved getting Michael to cook her some ravioli according to the secret recipe of his grandma.

Michael was unable to do so because he had been condemned to building a pyramid from cotton swabs with Stacey Dillsen. It was a project for their history classes.

Zoey begged Stacey to release Michael, but for no avail. 'Why isn't your beloved Eric helping you?'

'Eric is a member of Firewire's cartoon discussion club.' Stacey sighed. 'And today, they have got their weekly discussion table.'

Zoey sighed with despair. She needed to find someone else to assist Stacey. The tide was alreasy high, yet Zoey tried to move on.

* * *

Zoey had tried to ask Lola, but the wannabe actress was busy babysitting the kid of Mr. Bender.

'And don't try to ask Chase or Drake. They are members of the school band who has to be present at the Middle School talent shop.' Lola told Zoey.

Quinn was busily repairing the laptop of Dean Rivers. She was going to install the new operational system Quinnjosh QJ, an invention she had made recently along with Josh.

* * *

Wendy was already in Megan's dorm when the latter entered. 'Hi Megs!'

'Wendy!' Megan shrugged. 'What are you doing for the talent shop.'

Wendy smiled. 'I'm going to sing _Down We Fall_ [28:2][28:3], the song that Drake sang for me at the ranger scout meeting. [28:4] '

Megan smiled. 'Cool!'

'But you won't think it cool that Zoey can't get to J.T. Hawthorne's book presentation.' Wendy moaned. 'So she will watch us …'

Megan was flabbergasted. What was Zoey going to say when Dustin performed a scary trick?

Wendy remarked also that Zoey was depressively sad, and in a stinky mood.

* * *

The atmosphere at the talent shop was great. Ashley had impressed the audience with a performance of some of her favourite skits. Now it was Wendy's turn.

Drake, Chase, and Addie strummed their guitars in order to back Wendy.

Wendy was totally excited. Drake was not just listening, he was her backup guitarist. She needed to give her best in order to impress him as much as possible. She owed him that as he had made the song just for Wendy.

Mr. Bender, the superviser of the talent shop, told Wendy to start.

'You are …' Wendy stammered. 'You are … ' The sweat ran from her forehead.

'Wendy?' Mr. Bender was flabbergasted when he saw Wendy collapsing and passing out.

She obviously couldn't stand the excitement.

Mr. Bender called Dr. Glazer

* * *

A few numbers later, it was Megan's turn. She had heard that Wendy was not in a serious condition and just needed to get enough sleep. Thus she bowed to the audience before jumping into the box where Dustin was going to saw her into half, or, rather, into three parts.

Dustin grinned. He demonstrated the sharpness of the saw blade on a piece of cardboard.

Zoey was in the audience, but she was apparently totally apathetic.

Dustin started sawing until the box fell apart.

The suspense in the audience increased.

Drake couldn't take it any longer, and he passed out.

Megan was immobile and silent for several minutes when Dustin took the pieces of the box and nailed them together.

Dustin wondered. 'May anyone survive being sawed into three parts? Don't ask me, ask Megan Parker!' He opened the box. A fountain of fake blood shot aloft. 'Megan?' Dustin plastered a posture of horror.

Jack and Janie were the first to worry. 'Oh my god!'

Dustin slumped to the floor and fell into the pointed saw blade. Strawberry juice splattered.

Still consternated Mr. Bender called Dr. Glazer.

The next minute, Dustin and Megan jumped up. 'Fools!' They shouted unison.

Jack and Janie sighed with relief when they licked the berry juice. 'Yummy!'

The hall burst from the fiery applause.

Zoey was still left apathetic in her seat. Not even Dustin and Megan getting rewarded for their glorious victory could touch Zoey, so deep was the disappointment because she had not been able to see J.T. Hawthorne.

* * *

Wendy sighed. 'At least you were great!' She told Megan after waking up.

'Ashley's tips for feigning our death were grandiose!' Megan admitted.

'I still feel bad for Zoey …' Wendy sighed.

'Maybe …' Megan chuckled. 'But not for much longer, I guess …'

Wendy grinned. It seamed that one of her plans had gone well …

* * *

It had been a hard night for Lola. First, Drake had to see his fan Wendy passing out from excitement, then he dropped unconscious when he thought Megan deadly wounded. Lola had taken care of Drake. But then she also had to take care of her roomie Zoey. She was lying in her bed, wishing to die. Dustin's victory hadn't done anything to cheer her up. 'Please, Zoey!'

'Just throw me into the tomb!' Zoey insisted.

Quinn had also been tormented by the situation. Zoey's lamentations had kept her from sleeping.

Chase and Michael had wanted to visit Zoey, but they had not been allowed into Zoey's dormitory.

Suddenly the door opened. Dustin looked into the room. 'Here it is, 101!'

Quinn wanted to send Dustin away, but Megan, who stood right behind him, urged them to let the stranger pass that had followed them.

'My name is J.T. Hawthorne!' the stranger shook Quinn's hand.

Lola grinned. She grabbed Ms. Hawthorne and pushed her into the dorm.

Zoey jumped up. 'J.T. Hawthorne?' Yeah, it was really her. Zoey couldn't help hugging her favourite author.

Megan and Dustin grinned.

'After the presentation …' J.T. sighed, 'my manager got a phone call from those kids, telling me how urgent it was. And I can't let my Number One fan down …'

Wendy smiled. 'I know how a Number One fan must feel when he can't see his star …'

Zoey huggled Wendy, Dustin, and Megan dizzy. 'Thanks!'

* * *

**Chapter 29 I Want A G.O.**

* * *

Megan snuck into the rehearsal room of Drake's school rock band. 'Hi boob!'

'Megan!' Drake moaned. He didn't like getting interrupted. Alas, he was already 15 minutes late.

'You wanted to play _PCAopoly_[29:1] with me, don't you remember?' Megan sighed deeply.

Drake moaned with despair. 'Dern!' He had forgotten about it. ' I need to get Neil, our new drummer[29:2] started. It's only a few days until Open Mic Night. But I don't need Chase and Addie anymore. Maybe you can play with them.'

Megan sighed. 'OK, Chase?'

Chase shrugged. 'Addie and I, we wanted to …' he stammered and blushed.

Addie kissed Chase on the angles of his mouth.

Megan understood. She was a bit disappointed because, like Dustin, she had expected Chase to choose Zoey as his girlfriend. 'OK, I don't want to mess with lovebirds …'

Chase and Addie sighed. They had become extremely close since the death of Chase's grandma. But now they pitied Megan and followed her.

* * *

Megan cast the dice. 'Yeah, a free Out-of-Detention card!' She grinned.

Chase sighed. 'I definitely need a new G.O. I've asked my grandpa for the bucks!'

Megan shrugged. 'Why buy it if you can trade one? Josh has got a new G.O., but he can't tell it from his Pentendo …'

Chase sighed because he hadn't told Megan earlier.

* * *

Chase smiled. He had just received a parcel from his grandpa.

It was too big for money, thus he conjectured that it contained the new G.O.

Alas …

'An old radio?'

It was left from grandpa's high school time.

He was thoroughly disappointed, he didn't want that crap. Then he remembered Megan's suggestion and produced his cellular phone. 'Hi Josh … this is Chase Matthews, you know … I've heard that you've got the latest G.O. … yeah. Megan told me. And I wonder whether you would trade it for an old radio that was left from the war … sure, see you!'

* * *

Chase rendered his radio unto Josh who gave him the new G.O. in turn.

'My grammie has got the same thing!' Josh beamed. 'Oh, sorry …' he thought he had heard Chase's feeling, given that the latter's grandma had just died.

Chase sighed. 'It's not your fault, pal.' He high-fived Josh. 'See you!'

* * *

Quinn looked at Josh's radio. 'Hmmm … I guess it's a rare example …' She looked it up on the interweb. 'Yeah, it's made of a material that has only been used in war times. The radio has recently scored 12k bucks!'

Josh choked.

Drake sighed. 'If Chase gets to know about it, he will feel abused!'

Lola nodded. 'You've got to render unto Chase what is Chase's!'

'Don't do that, candybear!' Quinn snuggled up to Josh. 'Chase bit it, he bought it.'

Quinn and Lola jumped at each other.

Fists were flying.

The boys backed up their respective girlfriends.

Fortunately, Megan and Dustin came along.

A bucket of water solved the problem, at least for the time being.

* * *

Dustin told Chase about the true value of the old radio.

'Aw, Josh Nichols, such a mean cheater!' Michael yelled. 'And he looks so innocent!'

Logan shrugged. 'And so? that's your problem, you loser.' He laughed about Chase.

Chase was upset. 'I'm going to get it back! And Josh will be so sorry!'

* * *

Josh and Chase argued all day long.

Now it was almost 3 a.m.

'OK!' Chase was totally angry. 'If you don't give me the radio back, I'm going to take this!' He grabbed a box with unidentifiable content and tried to sneak out.

'Eheh!' Josh grinned. 'Have fun with Quinn's toe nail collection!' Josh taunted Chase.

'What?' Chase choked and coughed with disgust. He threw the box at Josh. 'Keep that crap! I've got to bathe my hands in some tough detergents.' He ran away. 'But I'll get back at you, cheater!'

* * *

Dean Rivers, dressed in his pair of pyjamas, crossed th campus, following Dustin. '! I hope that you have got a really important reason for …'

'It is urgent!' Dustin assured. 'Vince Blake called and told Ashley who told Megan who called and told me that Chase Matthews and Josh Nichols are killing each other over an old radio!'

Dean Rivers shook his head. 'Chase Matthews … always the same troublemakers …'

* * *

The door went open.

Dean Rivers bounded in. He was upset and yelled angrily at Matthews and Nichols.

Quinn and Lola explained the situation while trying to strangle each other.

'Stop it!' Dean Rivers commanded at the top of his lungs. 'I'm going to call Chase's grandfather. His number!'

'At this time?' Drake wondered.

Chase rendered the number unto Dean Rivers.

Fortunately the old guy lived in Maryland, three hours ahead.

After a long conversation, Dean Rivers announced his conclusion. 'Mr. Matthews is going to visit us the next day. This means that he's going to take his radio back, knowing how valuable it is! Have a good night!' He yawned noisily and snuck back to his home.

* * *

Chase's grandpa arrived. 'OK, give me the radio back!' he commanded Chase.

Josh was right there. He sobbed and weeped when he had to part with the thing.

Josh's grandma came to her grandson's rescue. 'How dare you to make my Joshie unhappy?'

The two old people engaged in a wrestling fight, cheered by the onlookers.

Along came Quinn. 'Silence! If I pay you its estimated worth of 12k bucks, may we keep it?'

The old man nodded solemnly when he grabbed the bucks from Quinn.

'Where's the money from?' Josh wondered.

'Aw … you know, I've got that extra toe …' Quinn smiled. 'I've sold my toe nail collection to some freak that offered 12k bucks for it …'

Chase banged his head against the wall as he had not kept the toenail collection when he had the chance to.

Josh kissed his old radio.

'How about a coffee, mam?' Chase's grandpa offered Josh's grandma.

'Sure, Sir!' They walked hand in hand to the cafeteria.

* * *

Chase and Addie had put the G.O. on shuffle, and they listened to some songs from the time when his grandpa was still young.

'Frank Sinatra …' Chase smiled. 'I love Frank!'

'So do I!' Addie admitted. She took her guitar.

* * *

Let us leave our confusion and all desillusion behind!  
Like two birds of a feather a rainbow together we find. [29:3]

* * *

Dustin and Megan walked by. They were happy for them, but they still had to talk with Zoey about it…

* * *

**Chapter 30 Lovesick Michael**

* * *

Wendy returned into her dorm.

'Doesn't Michael teach you lessons in composition, right at this time?'

Wendy shook her head. 'He should, but he's busy stalking the lead singer of Drake's band!'

'Stalking?' Megan remembered well when Wendy had got such an insane crush on Drake that he had almost gone crazy.

'Oops!' Wendy understood what Megan had been alluding to. 'I shouldn't be one to talk about it, then. I've been way worse. And I still try to impress him, even if this goes terribly wrong, making me vomit from excitement.'

'I guess you mean Lisa Perkins …' Megan sighed. 'I've heard she is going to participate in the _Californian Superstar_ cast of Randy J[30:1]. with _ Let's Turn Monday Into Saturday_[_30:2_]. '

Wendy nodded. 'She has really got the hang out of it!'

'A propos impressing …' Megan giggled. 'The Open MIC night is ahead, and Drake told me that Michael is going to sing there something serious … now I may guess why …'

Wendy nodded. 'Michael is great with entertaining stuff, but that number, I fear, he won't make it well, and he would never try to do that unless he's really rigged and ready to become the laughingstock of the school.'

Megan nodded solemnly. 'Last time he did that was for his previous girlfriend … Vanessa.'

'It went well for a few months, but now he has been bitterly disappointed.' Wendy sighed. 'And that's why he dives head over heels into the next fiasco.'

Megan sighed sadly. 'Poor Michael!'

* * *

Vince had been moving over into the dorm with Craig and Eric, hence Drake and Josh had now got more space in their dormitory room for their girlfriends Lola Martinez and Quinn Pensky.

This evening, the girls were hanging out in 69 Bell Hall. Quinn and Josh were reading an interesting article around laser technology, while Drake and Lola made their tongues intertwine like ivy vines.

Someone knocked at the door.

Josh opened for Chase to come in. 'Hi Chase! Something not OK with my err your G.O. ?'

Chase shook his head. 'Nopes. I'm running a bet with Logan. I've beat him at that cart race video game …'

'I know that game, I've been so addicted to its previous version …' Josh beamed.

'Cool!' Chase chuckled. 'Now he thinks that I can't beat him in a real cart race …'

'He can buy any cart he wants to …' Lola shrugged.

Chase nodded. 'I haven't got a snowball's chance in hell fire with my lawn mower …' He moaned. 'Unless … Quinn may tune it for me!'

Quinn was flabbergasted, but … 'Sure, I can do that!'

'But isn't it dangerous?'Josh sobbed. 'I've once repaired a dune buggy for Drake[30:3] , and he …'

'It was a lot of fun!' Drake beamed.

'Painful fun!' Josh shuddered.

Quinn chuckled. 'OK, I'm in for it!'

'Sock it to Drake!' Josh had apparently changed his mind like a bursting mine. But was such a cart race really harmless?

* * *

The evening of the Open MIC Night was there.

Zoey had arranged Lisa to sit in the front row during Michael's performance.

Megan, Dustin, and Wendy sat a few rows behind Lisa, watching the situation carefully.

Michael started singing a new song, backed up by Drake's guitar solo. He glared hornily at Lisa when he started to sing. 'It's ho … it's ho …' He reeled painfully.

Megan coughed. 'Michael can't stand the heat! He's going to vomit!'

Wendy felt mercilessly reminded of her own misfortune during the talent show.

Fortunately, also Drake noticed the same. 'Michael!' He stopped playing the guitar and grabbed his friend. 'It ain't no use.' Drake begged the moderator to make a break. They were granted five minutes. Drake took Michael to the toilets.

The moderator sent the next participant up the stage when Drake returned without Michael.

'He feels like crap and needs to go to his dorm …' Drake sighed

Megan choked. 'Wendy, you understand best what Michael feels like.' She sighed bitterly. 'Go and look after him!'

Wendy was still consternated, but she understood Megan's reasoning. She stood up and walked out on the crowd.

* * *

Out on the campus, Wendy ran as fast as she could, looking for Michael who should be on his way back to his dormitory hall, Maxwell Hall. She found him, as Michael could only wimp and creep after having puked his guts off.

Michael startled. 'Huh!'

'It's just me, … Wendy Gellar!' Wendy sighed.

Michael broke down.

Wendy helped him up again. 'I may imagine how you feel … I've gone through the very same thing with Drake!'

'Aw Wendy!' Michael sighed deeply. He limped into the lounge, supported by Wendy.

* * *

Megan and Dustin snuck past Beverley and jumped into the office of Dean Rivers.

'Parker! Brooks! What are you doing here?' Dean Rivers moaned.

'It's urgent!' Dustin coughed.

Megan explained: 'Chase Matthews and Logan Reese are in for a cart race … around the campus! Has this been approved of?'

Dean Rivers was consternated. He jumped up. 'What? A cart race?' He stomped his feet, making the whole building tremble. 'No, it has not been approved of. I would never approve of such a thing!' He followed Dustin and Megan who dragged him out to the campus.

* * *

Logan was dismayed when he saw Chase's cart, tuned by quality engineer Quinn Pensky.

Lola and Drake took the flag that was to be swung at the beginning of the race.

Finally, Dean Rivers arrived. 'Stop it!' He thundered at the top of his lungs.

'What?' Logan didn't understand it. 'It's a totally harmless race with high-speed motor carts.'

Dean Rivers was upset. 'I should get you expelled for that, for good! Into my office!'

Chase sighed sadly. With Quinn's and Josh's modifications, he would have rocked the race.

* * *

Michael thanked Wendy. 'You're the best friend I may even think off!' He sighed deeply.

'It's OK, Mikes!' Wendy purred.

'If you weren't three years too young, I would …' Michael moaned.

'Maybe some day!' Wendy smiled. 'I won't be that young forever!'

Michael kissed Wendy on the top of her head.

* * *

Addie met Chase. 'Forget about the whole thing. Logan is just a jerk, he isn't worth it!'

Chase sighed. 'OK, darling, if you say so …' He pecked Addie on her cheeks. 'What will we do today?'

Addie smiled. 'A double date with Michael and Wendy.'

'Wow! I haven't thought of those two!' Chase shrugged. 'But, OK, they do so well together.'

Chase and Addie found Michael and Wendy, and they walked away into the park, whistling a merry tune.

* * *

**Chapter 31 Candle Light and Barbecue**

* * *

Dustin snuck into Megan's dormitory room.

'Hi sweetie!' Megan smiled when she greeted Dustin.

'My greatuncle Morris has just made it into his tomb …' Dustin shrugged.

'Aw my god!' Megan jumped up in order to comfort Dustin.

'It's OK …' Dustin purred. 'I've never met him, and hardly heard about him.'

Megan sighed with relief.

Dustin nodded. 'Alas, he has left us a van load of pork chops …'

'What a pig!' Ashley remarked sadistically.

dustin chuckled. 'They weren't his ribs … I mean, not directly …'

Megan rolled on the floor, laughing her limbs off.

'Whatever!' Dustin sighed. 'What to do with that many ribs? The cafeteria's storage is chock full. Zoey wants to make a barbecue festival.'

Megan nodded. 'Why not? I rock at that stuff. I've once won a salsa contest against Drake and Josh … [31:1], of course with some trick … ' Megan whistled mischievously.

'Cool!' Dustin beamed.

* * *

Megan asked Drake and Josh whether they wanted to be members of her team. 'You know what you have to expect when you try to compete in a cooking contest against me …'

Drake and Josh sighed ruefully. They had learnt their lesson thoroughly.

'I don't really want to participate!' Josh remarked. 'Quinn and I, we are working on two great inventions.'

'You're spazzes …'Drake moaned.

Josh glared at Drake. 'We aren't! These are two great thing: A liquid candle that may burn for years, and a hair growth accelerator that …' Josh used many scientific terms that went beyond Drake's and Megan's capacity.

'Stop it!' Drake sighed. 'And don't leave your hair in my bed!'

'Do you want to help me at the barbecue fest?' Megan asked Drake.

He shook his head. 'I've promised Lola to help her with her next cast … She tries out for a musical.!'

Megan shrugged. 'OK, boobs!' She respected Drake's and Josh's will, but she grudged silently because they hadn't done anything fun together for quite some while. And she couldn't do the barbecueing alone with Dustin, they needed a responsible high school guy in their team. This rule had been imposed by Dean Rivers. There next choice was Zoey.

* * *

'Dustin, I'vealready promised Michael, Chase, and Logan to be in their team. Someone must take care of them, as, otherwise, they would set the campus on fire with their barbecue set.'

Dustin sighed. It was all too true: Those three guys were terrible when together.

Zoey shrugged. 'Alas, I don't think this one will go well either: Michael and Logan are already at each other's throat/ Logan uses his Reese Rib Rub spice mix, and Michael uses his grandmother's recipe for a barbecue marinade. They insult each other over it … I don't think they may be one team. So I have got to work with Michael, and Logan with Chase.'

'Chase and Logan?' Dustin was flabbergasted. 'They will come up with yet another silly bet like the cart race …'

'Oh Lord!'Zoey thundered. 'That will be horrible.'

* * *

Fortunately, The guys had already made other plans.

Megan sighed with relief when she met Wendy and Ashley in her dorm. 'So, Wendy, you will actually build a team with Michael?'

Wendy nodded. 'And we will rock the barbecue festival with Michael's barbecue marinade!'

'No, you won't!' Ashley boomed with a venomous voiuce at Wendy. 'That's because Logan and I will win with the world famous Reese Rib Rub!'

'Oh, that famous? They even know it in Siberia?' Wendy taunted Ashley.

The two girls were at each other's throat.

'Oh my god!' Megan boomed with dismay. 'What have I done to deserve roomies like these?' She stormed out into the foyer, alerting Janie.

* * *

Addie was waiting in the foyer. 'Yeah! I'm going to win the barbecue festival with Chase!'

Megan and Janie sighed. They still had not got any older pupil to assist them and their respective boyfriends Dustin and Jack.

They decided to call Zoey and ask her again, given that the boys from 148 Maxwell were already going to the festival with their respective girlfriends.

Zoey declined. She pitied the pigs, and hence she decided not to participate in the barbecue at all.

The middle school kids respected Zoey's decision, but they found it terribly inconsequential because she didn't mind that as long as she had been working with her same-age friends. At least Craig and Eric had admitted to be vegetarians[31:2] and refused to participate at all. Vince was going to assist his sister and Logan. Mindy was already about helping Firewire and his pals. Tracy Baldwin was helping her sisters Katie and Sandy, of course. Megan, Janie, and their boyfriends had to face it: They were locked out from the barbecue feast! But all of them were going to rue it: Grinning mischievously, Megan and Dustin decided that the barbecue fest was going to be cancelled.

* * *

While Lola and Drake made out in a corner, Josh and Quinn thought time right for testing the liquid candle.

'Dean Rivers told me to do that outside the dormitory hall!' Josh remarked.

'OK, so we may leave the love birds on their own!' Quinn sighed. She took the candle oil, the candle container, and the bic lighter, ready to move onto the campus square. 'That's better because I've installed the new sprinkler system … just in case the mixture in the candle oil is a bit too strong, which I don't hope.'

Josh smiled merrily. He had been working on that thing for several months.

* * *

Quinn and Josh placed the liquid candle into the centrr of the campus square.

The moment of truth was ahead.

Quinn took her bic lighter. '5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Fire!' She lighted the candle.

A column of fire shot aloft, searing Quinn and Josh.

At the same time, the fire alert system was activated.

A rain shower squirted forth from the fountain, extinguishing the candle.

Quinn and Josh sighed. The flame was gone, but so was their hair. They were lucky that they had already been working on something to get their hair to grow again.

'The splinkler system works well!' Quinn concluded.

Josh nodded solemmnly. 'It took me quite some time to calibrate it, making it getting triggered by such a flame.'

Quinn nodded.

Hand in hand, Josh and Quinn walked back to their dorm.

* * *

The first participants of the festival started to set their charcoal ablaze, among them Logan and Ashley.

Just as the first charcoals went aglow … splash … the sprinklers got triggered and unleashed a shower on Logan's barbecue set.

The same thing happened when the next team made it there.

Quinn and Josh stormed the campus. 'Wait! It seems we've overcalibrated the sprinkler device! Although … we don't know how it had turned that sensitive.'

Josh nodded, hanging his head in ashame. 'Our liquid candle may have sensitivated the whole thing. Now it takes us some week to recalibrate the system!'

The participants in the festival were upset, but there was no other choice for them. Wendy and Michael, Ashley and Logan, Chase and Addie … they all sobbed and returned to their dorms.

Dustin and Megan whistled innocently when they saw the barbecue disaster.

* * *

**Chapter 32 Fire Alert**

* * *

Logan had purchased a new J-Phone from Japan.

It was able to download his favourite movies over night.

In addition, he had purchased a movie named Shinyusha.

Both the phone and the movie were illegal in the United states.

Dustin had been hired by Logan in order to carrel the parcel containing the movie and the phone from the post office of the _Pacific Coast Academy_ to Logan's dorm. On his way, he met Megan. 'I've heard that Shinyusha is real horror!'

Megan beamed. 'I love horror! Let's watch the whole thing?'

Dustin nodded solemnly.

* * *

Michael had placed the popcorn on the table, Logan inserted the movie, and Chase relaxed on his bed.

Suddenly, Dustin and Megan snuck into their dorm. 'Hi! We're going to watch the movie with you.'

Chase was flabbergasted. 'Your elder siblings told us not to …'

Dustin and Megan insisted.

Drake, Josh, and Zoey were not there to command them around.

* * *

The movie was plain horror. In the end, a gang of frenzied ninjas stabbed their victims with chopsticks.

Dustin and Megan screamed with terror.

Even the older boys were not unaffected: They shivered a lot.

* * *

Dustin and Megan snuck out, holding each other tightly.

'Thanks, Megs. With you by my side, I've got less fear,' Dustin admitted.

Megan thought the same way. 'And if Zoey, Drake, and Josh spent more time with us, as they had promised to our mothers, it wouldn't have come that far.'

Dustin shared Megan's conjecture. 'I miss Zoey.' He sighed deeply.

Megan nodded. 'We should show them how much we need them.'

Dustin had got an idea. 'Let's make them believe that we're so terrified by the movie that we need to sleep over in their dorms …'

Megan beamed. 'Cool! You're a genius!'

After waving each other a good night, Dustin snuck into _101 Brenner Hall_, Megan into _69 Bell Hall_.

* * *

Zoey had had a hard time to get Lola and Quinn to accept that Dustin needed to spend the night in their dorm.

Lola was particularly afraid that Dustin was going to find her bra and take a picture of it in order to show it around on the campus and beyond.

Quinn yawned. 'Do we really have to check that there is no monster under Dustin's bed?' Quinn complained. She was a bit stinky because she had had to pay more for the pedicure of her right foot, due to the additional toe.

Zoey nodded solemnly. 'But Michael, Chase, and Logan are going to pay for it. I could kill them!'

'With chopsticks?' Dustin beamed proudly.

* * *

Dustin met Megan for breakfast. 'Did the boobs swallow your bait?'

Megan nodded. 'With hook, rope, and sinker. And Josh's head got almost stuck when he had to look under my bed as I've told them to be afraid of the black samurai hiding down there.'

Dustin and Megan hi-fived.

* * *

Drake and Josh met Quinn, Zoey, and Lola in the cafeteria.

* * *

Quinn and Josh giggled, while Lola smooched Drake.

Zoey nodded. 'OK, boobs!' She chuckled because she had adopted Megan's term. 'I've heard that Megan was also terrified by Logan's movie?'

Drake nodded. 'It was terrible. We had to take Megan into our middle, otherwise she would have run around screaming.'

Lola sighed. 'I can't stand that any longer!'

Quinn nodded solemnly.

Drake remarked: 'But first, the guys from _148 Maxwell_ will have to learn a lesson!'

Josh nodded. 'The hard way!'

Lola, Zoe, Quinn, Drake, and Josh ganged up in order to beat the crap out of Michael, Chase, and Logan.

* * *

'How dare you?' Zoey thundered at the three culprits. 'We've told you not to let Megan and Dustin watch that junk!'

After a few seconds, Logan, Chase and Michael had been wrestled to the ground.

Michael screamed. 'That's so not drippin!'

'Drippin?' Quinn wondered. 'That isn't evena word, is it?'

Chase explained that Michael was trying to invent a new slang term.

The executioners laughed.

Chase sighed. 'We've suffered enough tonight. First, the movie has scared us as well, then the fire alert …'

'Fire alert?' Lola wondered.

Quinn sighed. 'That's why _Maxwell Hall_ is all wet … my sprinkling system works well!'

Josh smiled.

'But my new J-phone almost got wet. And when it rains, the J-phone interrupts transfer. Do you know what such an interrupted transfer costs me?' Logan complained.

'And Dean Rivers is upset. If he doesn't find the culprit and it happens again, an alert without fire …' Chase trembled. 'We will be grounded for the whole next weekend!'

'Serves you well!' Zoey decided. 'Come on, let them drown in the deluge caused by the sprinklers.'

* * *

Quinn and Josh couldn't stop there. They took a scanner and controlled the alert system and the sprinklers.

'Some electronic device must have triggered the alert.' Quinn concluded.

'Something illegal!' Josh added. 'Such as …'

'Logan's J-Phone!' Quinn and Josh boomed unison. They went to inform Dean Rivers who ordered a scanning of all the electronic devices.

* * *

The situation of Dustin and Megan didn't change during the next days.

Josh and Quinn also couldn't believe that Dustin and Megan were still afraid. They adjusted Quinn's electroencephalograph in order to test the brain of tweenies for fear and dismay.

Zoey smiled because Quinn had also promised that the device could revert brain currents and eliminate the fear.

Lola, Drake, and Josh watched as well.

'Stop it!' Megan commanded, looking at Dustin.

'We aren't really afraid!' Dustin admitted.

'What?' Zoey, Lola, and Drake were consternated. That cried for a harsh punishment.

'Thing is …' Megan explained. 'We little siblings feel terribly neglected. Dustin misses and needs Zoey so much, and same goes for me and the boobs.' She sighed while Dustin nodded. 'You've promised to our mothers that you will take good care of us, but …' Megan moaned with tears in her eyes. 'unless something bad happens, you hardly take notice of us and hang around with your older friends only.'

Dustin agreed. 'As she says …'

Tears ran down his cheeks.

Zoey, Drake, and Josh felt horribly guilty. The boobs huggled Megan, while Zoey huggled Dustin.

Quinn and Lola took turns huggling both of the tweenies, until they had been close to strangling them.

Then they agreed on doing more together.

'As Dustin and Megan aren't even really afraid of that horror movie … how about a trip to the demonator on mystic mountain[32:1] ?' Drake suggested. 'We need you with us because we'd be afraid without you.'

'Cool!' Lola, Quinn, Josh, and Zoey smiled.

'But you are going to pay for our tickets,' Megan determined.

The older kids nodded.

Megan promised to stop pranking Drake and Josh who in turn were going to no longer call her a little girl.

* * *

'Last warning!' Dean Rivers told Logan Reese. 'You're grounded for the next four weeks! One more complaint, and …'

* * *

**Chapter 33 Plasma Reactor**

* * *

Besides all those little utilities like the hair growth accelerator and the liquid candle, Quinn and Josh had also cooked up some serious scientific revolutions.

Quinn Pensky would have liked to build an anti-gravity chamber, but when she heard that Josh was up to building the plasma reactor, she had decided to jump in and do something together with her boyfriend.

Josh smiled. Working together, nothing was going to be able to stop them.

Firewire and Mindy went pale when they saw the plans. 'OK, we've underestimated you!' Mindy and Firewire admitted unison. They had submitted a photon cannon, but Quinn's and Josh's invention blew their hopes into nirvana and beyond.

* * *

A few weeks later …

Josh Nichols was sitting in his dorm.

Drake bounded in. 'A letter for you, from some stupid guys in Frisco!'

Josh took the letter and opened it. It was from the committee for the science award he and Quinn had been applying for. He read it and … 'Yeah!' he yelled at the top of his lungs. 'Hug me, brother!'

Drake did cluelessly what Josh had asked for, and he felt almost unable to breathe in being subjected to Josh's virulent embrace.

'They have chosen my plasma reactor for the National Junior Science Award!' Josh bounced around and beamed proudly.

'OK …' Drake still didn't get it. 'Do I have to call Dr. Glazer?' He shrugged helplessly, thinking that Josh had gone cranky … no, wait, Josh had always been that way. Drake sat down and twiddled his thumbs.

* * *

Down to Drake and Lola being too oblivious, Quinn and Josh had dinner just with Zoey, Megan, and Dustin.

'I think it was important that Quinn gave the presentation in front of the committee in Frisco!' Josh remarked.

'Why is it so?' Zoey wondered.

'Because she's a girl …' Josh sighed. 'Obviously, they don't want boys anymore, they are just too ordinary. But girls in science are still extraordinary …'

'Because you guys have always been so much prejudiced …' Quinn moaned. 'Look at Firewire's attitude. Now he respects me and Mindy, but not so long ago …'

The others nodded.

Josh grinned. 'If I hadn't had Quinn … I would have sent Megan to participate in the colloquium for me,' Josh admitted.

'No way!' Megan protested. 'All my pals would come to think that I'm a science geek girl like Mindy!' Megan was close to throwing up. 'I mean … I will be all proud of him when Josh finally gets the Nobel Prize, but I don't want to be one of these freaks, that's all.' She hugged Josh as she hadn't meant to hurt him.

'I love you anyways.' Dustin assured.

'Thanks, sweetie!' Megan smiled. 'Or, maybe, I would just have used a fake name.'[33:1]

Zoey grinned. 'Hey, Dustin, would you do something like that for me?'

Dustin went pale.

'Please!' Zoey begged like a puppy. 'It's for the national award of the fashion journal. Boys are rare, so if you …'

'OK!' Dustin shrugged. He understood the similarity to Josh's and Megan's hypothetical situation, hence he agreed.

* * *

Dean Rivers was particularly keen on Quinn's and Josh's victory. In order to boast with it, he wanted Quinn and Josh to give a public demonstration of their invention on the campus of the PCA. He had already informed Mr. Bradford and executive chairman Garth Berman.

Quinn and Josh accepted the whole thing. They promised to give a world-shaking demonstration. But not only did they want to demonstrate the plasma reactor they had been awarded for, but also the even more spectacular antigravity chamber!

* * *

Garth Berman was very interested. He arrived at the parking lot.

Zoey shook the hand of Mr. Berman. 'Nice to see you again!'

'Mrs. Brooks?' Berman recognised Zoey.

Zoey nodded and smiled. 'You've still got the same car?' Then she introduced Josh and Quinn to Garth Berman.

Berman beamed. 'By the way, it would be a great honour for me if you could get my car to float …'

Josh and Quinn glared at each other. They retired for a few minutes.

Zoey and Berman talked about some daily PCA stuff.

Quinn and Josh returned, apparently with a decision.

'We've firgured that it is possible to get your car to float with our anti-grevity-device, provided that …' Quinn breathed heavily, making Garth Berman listen carefully.

Josh continued: 'We need to power the device with the output from our plasma reactor.'

Garth Berman beamed. 'So you will demonstrate both of the inventions at the same time? That's so … cool?'

Zoey nodded. 'If they can handle it, can they?'

Quinn scartched her head. 'Lola and Drake will have to help us!'

Mr. Berman shrugged.

* * *

Dean Rivers and most of the pupils were standing around the car of Mr. Berman.

Josh and Quinn built the antigravity bubble around the car, with the careful help of Megan, Dustin, Zoey, Jack, and Janie. They counterchecked everything twice.

'OK, Lola, when I call you, you have to push the following combination of buttons: Green, blue, red.'Quinn explained.

Drake and Lola shrugged helplessly.

Quinn and Josh walked over to their own plasma reactor. It was not only going to power the PCA, as had been planned, but also the antigravity device. The latter had so far only been tested on pencils. A real car was quite a step up to the top! But Quinn and Josh were not scared by it. Gravity effects cars as much as it effects pencils, doesn't it?

Zoey found Trottman, unable to pass through to Josh and Quinn. interviewing a lot of people. This was dangerous. 'Get out of here!' Zoey commanded Jeremiah Trottman who looked sheepishly. 'Go!'

Trottman felt insulted, but he snuck away.

* * *

'Fortunately I've replaced the outside of the reactor with aluminium.'Josh explained. 'Otherwise the conductivity would have been way too slow.'

Quinn nodded. 'That would have been a hell of dangerous. But since we've started to work together, many inventions get debugged really fast.'

'I know, darling!'Josh smiled.

Quinn pulled the lever. She watched the instruments. The power went up smoothly, just as expected. In a few minutes, the threshold was about going to be reached where Lola could activate the antigravity …

* * *

Drake and Lola looked at the control panel of the antigravity device. It was like a giant cage with transparent walls.

'I like this pink button!' Lola remarked. 'It looks so sexy!'

'What will happen when we push it?' Drake wondered.

Lola shrugged. 'OK, let's try it …'

Drake nodded.

3 … 2 … 1 … smoke billowed forth from within the device, causing a strange noise.

Zoey came along. 'Hey! What are you doing? Quinn hasn't yet sent you a signal!'

'Who cares?' Drake chuckled.

Lola smiled sweetly.

The smoke cleared, and what had used to be Mr. Berman's cherished car was now a lump of melting steel, glass, and rubber.

Mr. Berman screamed like a fury.

Quinn and Josh had interrupted the demonstration and looked what was going on. They were terribly upset at Lola and Drake, and they felt so sorry for Mr. Berman. 'You've selected the extended guarantee, right? I'm sure Lola and Drake have got that insurance …'

Drake and Lola tried to hide in some mouse hole, but there wasn't any …

* * *

**Chapter 34 Lance Rivers**

* * *

At the beginning of their sophomore year, Michael and Chase had sold their cartoons to toonjuice _dot_ com. Now they got even paid for them, and they were just a few millions of clicks away from making it into a regular TV show. But they had to speed up their delivery.

Wendy reported the whole thing to Megan.

'As I've promised to stop pranking Drake and Josh, there will be no more new sources for boob and boob toons …' Megan sighed.

'But you're still pranking other people …' Wendy remarked.

Megan nodded. 'That's true, but …' She sighed. 'Boob and boob are the cornerstone of Michael's and Chase's sudden succes. They can't be replaced without sweat … it would be a new experiment, and if they are so close to hitting the tops, they better stick to established stuff.'

Wendy moaned. 'Too true …'

Not much later, Dustin bounded in. 'That can't be! Zoey Brooks is now dating the son of Dean Rivers.'

Megan choked. 'Lance is such a jerk, making even Logan Reese envious.'

Dustin nodded, lowering his head in shame. 'Zoey doesn't need to marry into the Rivers family. She may get anywhere on her own!' He had given up on bringing Chase and Zoey together, hence he was totally desperate, due to the lack of alternatives. Danny had been less of a threat as Dustin had still had the hope that Zoey was going to decide in Chase's favour, but now all hope was gone.

'That cries for a terrible prank on Lance Rivers!' Megan clenched her fists. 'He's going to regret it until thedays of wrath, those special days when the world is going to be blown into smithereens!' Megan's gaze was venomous and fiery.

'I don't want to feel the wrath of Dean Rivers …' Dustin shivered. 'If only Zoey believed us that Lance was such a jerk.'

Megan nodded. 'You're right, sweetheart.' She sighed. 'Chase had turned reasonable and trashed that insane beast called Rebecca the moment he noticed that she came to tell him not to talk anymore to one of his best friends ….'

Dustin nodded solemnly. 'I hope Zoey will react the same way when Lance starts badmouthing Chase or Lola or Quinn …'

Megan agreed wholeheartedly.

* * *

Megan found Lola and Quinn in Drake's and Josh's dormitory. 'OK, my favourite sisters-in-law …'

'Step-sister-in-law!' Quinn insisted.

Megan nodded. 'Cool! It is about Zoey's new date, this Lance Rivers guy.' She sighed. 'Has he already started making Zoey neglect you?'

Quinn and Lola chuckled.

'Lance has ordered me a new materass!' Quinn smiled. 'My back hurt from the old one …'

Josh nodded. 'It was really painful.'

Lola grinned. 'And I get a new refrigerator! The old one is already starting to stink!'

Drake smiled. 'The new one holds twice as many ice chocolate bars.'

Megan moaned with despair. It seemed that Lola and Quinn were of no help. She turned around and was about leaving the dormitory room, lowering her head.

'Wait!' Lola and Quinn boomed unison.

Megan turned her head around.

'I've got the impression that Lance is just outright flattering, so that he may seduce Zoey with more ease!' Quinn remarked.

Lola nodded. 'There's a tombola ahead where you may win a trip to downtown LA for a Hollywood premiere … in a limo.' Lola gasped. 'I guess that Lance is trying to manipulate it and let Zoey win, so they may go there together …'

'OK, that's no good …' Megan remarked.

* * *

Dustin sighed when he entered Megan's dormitory. 'Hey sweetie! Lance has bought me a PCAopoly computer so that I may play PCAopoly on my own, beginning with the evening when he takes Zoey to downtown LA!'

Megan was flabbergasted. After the fire alert, Zoey and Dustin had agreed on spending Tuesday evenings together. They were usually playing PCAopoly. But that wasn't really the heart of the matter. The purpose of that arrangement was to let the siblings spend some appropriate time together, not to play PCAopoly. Dustin needed his sister, not some game computer! 'That's so mean!' She was more disgusted than before. Drake and Josh had been taking their promise serious, but Zoey … was she even aware of what she was doing, or did Lance get her to drop her friends and family sneakily? Anyways, she had to hide a micro camera in the limousine … she dialled Eric's number.

* * *

Megan, Wendy, Dustin, and Ashley watched the monitor. The micro camera worked perfectly, and they were able to see and listen to Lance and Zoey in their vehicle. And there it was:

Lance admitted that he had manipulated the tombola just in order to be alone with Zoey for the trip to LA.

Zoey was consternated.

Dustin and Megan sighed with relief: Zoey had apparently started to look behing Lance's flattering demeanour. They cheered when Zoey got upset.

'Sock it to Lance!' Dustin jumped up and yelled. Too bad it was a one-way connection, hence Zoey and Lance could not hear and see him.

Zoey took her champaign and the ice cubes and poured them down Lance's pants, as if she had heard Dustin. 'Back to the PCA!' Zoey commanded the chauffeur of the limo.

* * *

Dustin hugged Zoey.

'OK, we just postpone our evening to Thursday … let's watch a movie?' Zoey beamed.

Dustin nodded.

'Where is Megan?' Zoey looked around.

'She's with Michael and Chase for a new idea for their toons …' Dustin grinned.

'By the way …' Quinn and Josh remarked. 'Dean Rivers has expelled his son.'

Zoey cheered and bounced around.

Like Rebecca, Lance was never to be seen again.

* * *

Zoey and Dustin watched ToonJuiceL The latest toons submitted by Chase and Michael.

'Hey!' Zoey was consternated. 'That's me and Lance in the limo!' She was close to being upset, but laughed her backside off when she saw animated Zoey filling animated Lance's pants with ice cubes.

* * *

The new Lance toons, supplemented by Rebecca toons, were enough to boost Chase and Michael into the Toon channel of the Pacific Coast Broadcasting Corporation: Lance And Rebecca was going to become America's best rated toon show for several years!

* * *

**Chapter 35 Mouth Deodorant**

* * *

Josh and Quinn sighed. They had been working on some spray that was able to neutralise bad mouth odor. The thing they had invented against the stench of the skunk wasn't useful for that because it was toxic when swallowed in those large amounts necessary in order to counter malodorous foods like onions and tuna.

* * *

At the same time, many of the pupils had gathered around a van from the Blix corp. It was a contest: He who was the last to have to take his hands off the van — at least one hand had to touch it all the time — was going to win a trip in a helicopter to an event of his own choice. There were a few scheduled breaks after six hours, and custodian Bandel had arranged some mobile toilets around the van.

Lola and Drake refused to participate as making out with only one hand was too difficult for the two of them. The red hot Californian sun was hardly bearable, so they went to Drake's dormitory which was a lot cooler at this time of the day.

Dustin cheered for Zoey. 'She's tough!'

Megan nodded. 'I know!' She sighed. 'I have to look after the boobs …'

Dustin nodded. 'We'll be back in time for your victory …' He waved, not expecting her to wave back because she had to leave on hand on the van. 'Zoey will go to Italy for a fashion fair if she wins …'

Megan beamed. 'Cool! I've always wanted to go to Milan for the opera of the Scala!'

'I'd miss you!' Dustin sighed. 'Look at Logan! Both of his legs have gone stiff over night and thus he paid me to get him to the van in a wheel chair!'

Megan shrugged. 'I bet he's acting …'

* * *

Josh had eaten a lot of stinky stuff.

Quinn too a squirting can and sprayed Josh's mouth with deodoriser.

Exactly when Drake and Lola stumbled in, Josh started to laugh hysterically.

'What joke have you told him?' Drake wondered. Josh never laughed about his dumb jokes.

Quinn shrugged helplessly. 'Nothing! Oh, Lola. would you please sniffle at Josh's mouth?'

Lola was disgusted, but , much to her surprise, Josh didn't stink at all, the huge amount of smelly food notwithstanding.

Quinn smiled. 'The laughter must be a consequence of our spray … it works, but has got that side effect of making laugh …'

Josh was still far from stopping his insane laughter..

Megan and Dustin bounded in. 'Hi boobs!' She noticed Josh's laughing atack. 'I want to hear that joke!'

'So do I!' Dustin beamed.

Quinn sighed. 'That isn't funny! He laughs because my anti-stench spray makes him laugh. It activates the …' Quinn added a long scientific explanation that nobody could understand, note even Josh — he would have understood it if that stupid laughter had not held him ball and chain.

Megan had an idea. 'Drake, kiss Quinn!' She commanded him rudely.

Instead of obeying, Drake threw up.

Dustin sighed. 'Megan thinks that jealously would put an end to laughter.'

Megan nodded. Unbeknownst to Quinn and Josh, she grabbed the squirting flask and hid it in her pockets. 'How about using your anti-distraction potion from last spring?' Megan suggestion. 'Wouldn't it neutralise the laughter?'

Quinn scratched her head. 'OK … but it will take me a few minutes to brew a new one …'

Dustin and Megan walked out to the door.

* * *

A few of the participants had already fallen prey to the hard conditions. The Californian sun had burnt the hands of those who had not had the luck to touch the shadowy side of the van.

Logan had it easy in his wheelchair as he could rest his arm on the wheels of his chair. he made ugly jokes about Zoey and Chase.

Zoey would have loved to choke Logan but this was too hard with one measly hand only.

Logan abused this shamelessly in order to taunt Zoey.

Finally, the whistle blew: Break time!

The students rushed to the toilets.

Dustin saw Zoey. 'Hi sis! I've got some snack for you!' He showed her a lettuce sandwich. 'With some spicy sauce!'

Zoey smiled. 'Thanks, bro!' She grabbed the white bread and chewed on it heartily. 'Whoah, a strange side taste!' She shrugged, unaware of what that spicy sauce really contained …

Dustin rushed back to Megan, sticking his thumbs up. 'She bit it and bought it! '

Megan smiled mischievously. 'It's time for phase two!'

* * *

Josh had finally stopped laughing.

Quinn recorded everything. 'OK, it takes 3 hours for the anti-distraction potion to neutralise the painstaking side effects of the mouth deodorant.'

Lola and Drake sighed with relief.

'Would you have kissed Josh if Quinn had taken the mouth spray?'Drake wondered.

Lola shrugged. 'Possibly. For after having tasted the crappy lips of Josh, yours would have tasted so much better!'

'Aw sweetie!' Drake swooned.

Megan, who had been waiting with Drake and Josh, grinned and took the time. Then she went back to Dustin.

* * *

Calvin, the owner of the coffee cart, pushed his mobile booth towards the Blix van. 'OK, softdrink service!'

The participants that were still left at the van, among them Chase, Zoey, Logan, Michael, Stacey, and Lisa, welcomed that service. All of them wanted a giant Blix with a straw. They could hold it with one hand while leaving the other one on the van.

A few minutes later, after the participants had slurped the content of the cup of Blix, they started to laugh crazily. All of the participants?

No! Zoey Brooks seemed to have been immune to the whole epidemia.

The uncontrollable laughter made it impossible for the participants to keep their hands on the van. They floundered and fumbled wildly with their arms. They got disqualified one by one, barring Zoey.

The chieftain of the Blix company had to declare Zoey as the winner.

Dustin and Megan high fived. The sandwich had contained the anti-disctraction potion, while the Blix had contained the mouth deodorant. Of course they did not publish that secret.

Wendy comforted Michael, Ashley comforted Logan, Addie comforted Chase, Eric comforted Stacey, but Zoey celebrated her victory, unaware of the reason why she had been able to outdo the others.

* * *

'Keep good care of Dustin while I'm gone!' Zoey commanded Drake and Josh.

'Will do!' Josh promised solemnly. 'As you're going to keep good care of Megan during the flight and in Italy!'

Zoey and Megan grinned when they entered the helicopter, rigged and ready for the flight to Milan.

Lola snuggled up to Drake. 'I've heard that Italian boys are good kissers …' She sighed. 'But not as good as you!'

Drake smiled.

'They suck at science!' Quinn and Josh shrugged unison.

Dustin waved at Megan for one last time before the door was shut and the bystanders were chased away by the security guard.

* * *

**Chapter 36 Calvin's Demise**

* * *

Calvin, the owner of the coffee cart, had introduced the customer of the week. That lucky pupil was endowed to skip the long queue waiting in front of the van, and to get the coffee a whole lot cheaper than everyone else.

There was little doubt that many pupils were eagerly longing for that position. And they were obviously ready to do some more or less crazy things in order to catch Calvin's attention.

* * *

Ashley returned to her dormitory room. 'Hi Megs! I'm applying for a new role. I've got to talk with a fake French accent for that.'

'Cool!' Megan grinned. It would have been great if she had been able to fool Drake and Josh with fake accents back when she still did those things. Now this was out of question. And she had really learnt some Italian in Milan: She had visited the performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Nabucco at the Scala. She loved it like crazy. And she had applied for the job of a solo oboe. She hadn't had any clue as of where to apply, so she had just thrown her CV in a paper plane ontop the stage during the break, hitting the conductor.

Wendy sighed. 'Michael is really greedy for the position of a customer of the week. No waiting in the queue …'

Ashley nodded. 'Logan and Vince aren't any different. My brother is now carrying the coffee cart on his back, just in order to impress Calvin … '

Megan shrugged. 'The thing has got wheels … OK, boobs can't think that far, it seems … I don't understand it at all. Josh's Grammie's coffee tastes so much better than the stuff from the carts.' Megan sighed. 'Drake and Josh make such a fool of themselves, just in order to become the customer of the week.'

Dustin bounded in. 'Zoey is going to participate in a dance contest, but she doesn't know with whom …'

Megan shrugged. But she had got an idea. 'Josh is a great dancer … he doesn't look like it, but he's really cool!'

'OK, I'm going to tell Zoey!' Dustin beamed. 'Do you know what I like most about that dancing contest?'

Megan shrugged.

'My grandma and my grandpa from Boston might come for a visit if Zoey participates!'

Megan beamed. 'That's wonderful! I wish my grandma would care that much about me or Drake … but Josh's grammie is so much cooler.' She sighed. 'I'm sure that she will come again if Josh participates.' She smiles.

Wendy grumbled. 'I want to get to know Michael's grammie.' She grinned. 'I've heard she's cool!'

* * *

Calvin recognised that all those coffee-addicted guys were running for the award of the customer of the week, and he abused that shamelessly. 'OK, Drake, I want your socks, your old guitar, your plaid shirt …' he grinned sadistically.

Drake sighed, but he did what he was ordered to. He didn't want to miss out on the chance of the title.

* * *

'So, Quinn …' Zoey asked her roomie. 'It's OK for you if I borrow your Josh for the dancing contest?'

Quinn nodded solemnly.

Josh smiled. 'OK, let's start with a few crazy dances. First, there's the shower dance …'

Zoey chuckled, secure in the knowledge that this was going to be a whole lot of fun.

* * *

Finally, the moment had come for Calvin to unveal his secret: The new customer of the week!

The broad mass of pupils had been gathering on the campus around the coffee cart, just in order to see who's the lucky one.

Calvin pulled a blanket off a board that contained a picture of the lucky one. It was … Megan Parker!

Megan was flabbergasted. Unlike all the boys, she hadn't done anything in order to impress that suckish fool.

Calvin explained: 'The customer of the week is entitled to get free coffeee for the whole week, and he doesn't have to wait in the queue! And we're going to make out.' Calvin grinned awkwardly.

Many of the otheres were not just disappointed and consternated, but downright angry.

Drake and Josh were particularly upset.

'No way, you horny perv!' Megan yelled at the top of her lungs. 'I've got a boyfriend who understands and respects me!' She cuddled with Dustin. 'I don't need a horny jerk!'

Drake and Josh shook their heads.

'We need to teach that bleeding wanker a lesson!'Drake exclaimed.

'The hard way!' Josh added while clenching his fists.

Vince chimed in. He understood Drake's and Josh's rage, as he would have done the same if Calvin had selected Ashley.

Suddenly, Calvin was surrounded by the whole football team that had come to Drake's and Josh's support.

'And I need my shirt back! My socks, my guitar, my …' Drake thundered.

Calvin was left cringing on the ground, with only his boxers left … everything else he had taken from the wannabe customers of the week who, with the help of the football team, had nor successfully claimed their belongings back.

At the same time, Dustin, Wendy, and Megan had reached the coffee cart.

'Free coffee for everyone!' Megan yelled at the top of her lungs. 'Self servivce!' Grabbing Dustin and Wendy, she ran away to a safe spot before the broad mass of pupils flocked and stampeded to the cart.

* * *

The grandparents of Zoey and Dustin, along with Josh's grammie, watched Zoey and Josh dancing the night away, cheering enthusiastically. They were happy to see them again.

Dustin cheered for Zoey at the top of his lungs.

There was no other combination that was able to hold a candle to Josh and Zoey.

* * *

After the contest, Josh and Zoey, holding the winner's cup firmly in their hands, joined their grandparents to an indoor picnic in the lounge of Brenner hall .

Drake, Lola, Quinn, Dustin, and Megan went the same way.

They joined two adjacent tables.

Josh had to explain unto his grammie that Zoey was not his fiance, but Quinn was.

The grammie sighed. She would have liked to see Josh with a girl like Zoey. But, after all, she was OK with Quinn.

Lola announced that she had obtained the role of the girl with a French accent. 'When it came down to yet another duel between Ashley and me, she had retired.' Lola explained. 'She thinks that she would have talk too much. She's an actress that wants to impress with her charm, and not with her tongue!' She grinned.

'Whatever, sweetheart!' Drake kissed Lola.

Josh's grammie opened a can of her coffee.

'Yummy!' Zoey beamed. 'It's so much better than Calvin's stuff!'

Megan suggested the old lady to sell her coffee on the campus. 'The pupils will love it!' It was probably going to hammer home the last nail into the coffin of Calvin's business.

Grammie had to think about it. 'Maybe?' She chuckled merrily.

* * *

**Chapter 37 Beauty Pageant**

* * *

Dustin walked straight into Megan's dorm. 'Hi! Logan is organising a beauty pageant!'

Ashley beamed.

Megan shrugged. 'Those things are sexist!'

'I'm the sexiest!' Ashley boomed.

'No, you can't be, because I am already the sexiest!' Wendy scoffed back at Ashley.

Megan sighed deeply. 'That's so terrible!'

Dustin nodded. 'Especially as the winner makes it to the title page of the next _Buzz_!'

Ashley and Wendy glared at each other, secure in the knowledge that they were going to make it right there.

Megan shook her head.

'For me, you are the most beautiful.' Dustin huggled Megan. 'Always and ever!'

'Thanks, sweetie!' Megan grinned.

* * *

Not only Wendy and Ashley were at each other's throat, but also a few other dorms had their troubles …

* * *

'Most of the guys can't tell the two of you apart!' Janie told her roomies Sandy and Katie.

The identical twin sisters just shrugged. They had sworn to beat the living crap out of each other upon the beauty pageant.

Janie sighed deeply. She had to ask Megan to stop the fungus of rivalry for a beauty pageant.

* * *

Megan and Janie went to Zoey. 'This beauty pageant is just a stupid tool that sexist jerks like Logan Reese use in order to play us girls against each other. They want to support male dominance.'

'I know!'Zoey replied.

Megan and Janie smiled.

Lola swooned. 'Zoey, will you make me a gown for the pageant?'

Zoey nodded. 'Hmmmm … the Buzz …' She suddenly changed her mind. 'I want to make it onto the cover of the Buzz! That will show Katie Peckerman who's da boss!'

Megan was consternated. 'Peckerman? Who the devil is that?' She left their dorm, all disappointed.

* * *

Dustin explained. 'Katie Peckerman is an arrogant bitch from Zoey's old school. Zoey always wanted to pay her back for being so bitchy.'

'By getting on the cover of the Buzz?' Megan sighed with despair. 'I've never thought your sis to sink that low!'

Dustin sobbed with despair and started weeping.

Megan had to take him into her arms. 'I's OK, sweetie …' She sighed. 'I mean, nothing is OK …'

'But we're going to fix it!' Janie promised.

Jack nodded. 'Tracy Baldwin is our last hope!'

Janie nodded. 'Tracy has just reconciled her little sisters.'

Megan beamed. 'Good old Tracy! While I'm going insane because of Ashley's and Wendy's mania!'

* * *

Quinn snuggled up to Josh. 'Those pageants are so stupid!'

'They aren't!'Drake bellowed. 'All those hot babes that participate, and Lola will be the beauty queen among them.' He beamed proudly.

Lola swooned. 'Aw sweetie! Alas …' She sighed. 'Zoey wanted to make us gowns for the pageant, you remember?'

Drake nodded.

'Well, she did.' Lola boomed. 'But mine is so ugly! She wants to make me lose!'

Drake was upset. 'Ouch, that treacherous beast!' He took his guitar case and hinted swinging it at Zoey's head.

Josh sighed deeply. 'I've thought that Megan was paranoid and exaggerating … but now I know she's right … this whole beauty pageant thing is so insane!'

Quinn shrugged. 'What will you do?'

Josh shrugged. 'Megan has got an idea, I don't.'

Suddenly, Eric bounded in. 'This morning, Stacey has been hit by a flying watermelon! She stood in the crossfire between Lola and Zoey …'

Stacey's head hurt, and she kept on weeping piteously.

'Oops!' Lola sighed. She had not remembered having hurt an innocent bypasser. Then again, it was just Stacey, so she snuggled closer to Drake.

Quinn stood up. She had to go to Megan and help her with her plan …

Drake picked his guitar and sang along.

* * *

Standing in the crossfire  
Hanging from a life wire[37:1]

* * *

Ashley Blake giggled. 'You really followed my suggestion and told Lola that Zoey will make her own gown deliberately nicer than Lola's?'

Logan nodded solemnly and high-fived with Ashley.

'Cool!' Ashley swooned. 'Vince doesn't allow me to be deliberately mean to Lola anymore, but he has not told me not to make Lola and Zoey treating each other like dirt!'

Logan grinned satanically. 'Cool!'

* * *

Logan gave a long but pointless sermon when he opened the beauty pageant. 'OK, the rules: I'm the only umpire! I'm going to interview the girls and then I will come to a decision!'

The girls nodded.

Logan walked along the aisle.

'Hi Logan!' Stacey lisped merrily. 'Do you like my gown? It is …'

Logan looked sternly. 'No! It sucks!'

Stacey started sobbing uncontrollably and ran over to Eric and Craig.

Logan passed more and more girls, flirting recklessly. He knew that the girls had no other choice than going along.

Wendy grinned. 'Hi Logan! You make the world's best movies! I like your style as a producer!' She went on and on in a manner that reminded Drake of the days when he had been Wendy's stalking victim.

Logan coughed. Usually, he would have been excessively pleased by compliments like those, but Ashley Blake had told him to treat Wendy like crap and junk. 'And you talk like a sick puppy with diarrhea!'

Wendy Gellar felt insulted. She walked over to Michael in order to obtain some comfort.

'I love you anyways!' Michael smiled and kissed Wendy's cheeks.

'Aw Michael!' Wendy beamed. 'Maybe the beauty pageant wasn't that good an idea, anyways!'

Michael smiled. Alas, he hoped that a lot of the other girls were going to see it the same way.

A few girls down the road, it was now Zoey's turn. She closed her eyes. She knew that she couldn't stand the gaze of that perverse jerk Logan Reese, but she had to do it, whatever he required from her, just to make it on the cover of the Buzz, thus humiliating both Lola Martinez and Katie Peckerman into oblivion.

Suddenly, a voice came from her gown. 'Zoey! turn around!'

Zoey was consternated. Who had hidden a micro chip in her gown?

'It's me, Tracy Baldwin!' the voice fessed up.

Zoey coughed and choked.

'Logan is only abusing you, can't you see that?' Tracy boomed. 'He's upsetting the girls against each other, so that he and all the other jerks reseize control over the _Pacific Coast Academy_. You've been working so hard, starting just three years ago. Do you want to squander your principles for a dirty journal?'

Lola heard that as she stood next to Zoey. 'The Buzz is not dirty! It's the best journal ever!' She ripped Zoey's gown apart, destroying the microchip.

Alas, it had been enough to awaken Zoey's conscience. 'Get your dirty mouth off my face, Reese!' She bellowed. 'Tracy is so right, you are just abusing us girls setting us up against each other!'

Logan stammered and stuttered.

Tracy Baldwin had been hiding behind some shrubbery. 'OK, Zoey, what shall we do with that jerk?'

Zoey shrugged.

Tracy eyed some patch of fresh mud, not far from the parking lot where the girls were standing in droves. 'Into the mud with him!'

Zoey beamed 'Yeah!'

Zoey and Tracy grabbed Logan and flang him mercilessly into the humid dirt.

* * *

Dustin, Jack, Megan, and Janie watched Tracey and Zoey joyfully from the lounge, cheering emphatically. They cheered even more when Jeremiah Trottman, the reporter who talked about the event, landed in the mud, right next to Logan.

* * *

Ashley Blake pulled Logan out of the mud and cleaned him tenderly. 'Sorry, darling!' She sighed deeply.

'OK, Ashley, you get your cup, anyways!' Logan affirmed. He had promised to let Ashley win the pageant, no matter what.

Ashley was just sad that she did not receive the cup in the public. She had really wished for holding it in front of Wendy's eyes, humiliating her in front of some thousand people.

* * *

Zoey sighed when she heard about Megan who had started the whole conspiration. 'Thanks! You've saved me from catching an infection with jerk germs!'

Megan nodded. 'That's OK. But next time, we might not be around for you … so better beware!'

* * *

**Chapter 38 The Next Doheny**

* * *

Wendy and Michael were watching TV: A report about the great magician Henry Doheny.

'Too bad he has fallen out of luck, just recently.' Wendy sighed. 'No regular TV show presents him anymore.'

Michael sobbed. 'Alas, I bet that I may disentangle myself as he did …' He beamed. 'I mean, it's not like his other old tricks like making elephants disappear, but …'

Wendy beamed. 'Yeah! You rock, darling!'

* * *

Logan was consternated. He had just been stripped of his credit card and most of his Hifi electronics, let alone a Lamborghini. His father Malcolm had judged him irresponsible, hence he could not trust him anymore with that much money. After having left Chase, Michael, and Zoey behind, he crept into the park, thinking of a way to make some bucks.

Ashley crossed his way. 'Logan?'

'I'm cut off!' He complained, sighing bitterly. 'No Lamborghini, no credit card …'

Ashley sighed bitterly. She had squeezed quite a few bucks from Logan during the last year. Now it was all gone.

'OK, Ashley, I understand if you don't want a poor boyfriend …' he sighed.

Ashley shrugged. She had to think about it. Anyways, it was too late for today. She sighed and went back to her dorm.

* * *

Megan and Wendy were discussing the situation of poor Henry Doheny.

Wendy urged Megan to plan something to get Doheny back to the top.

Megan nodded. 'OK, we might invite Henry to the PCA, and then it will be much easier.' She sighed. 'I'm going to send him the DVD of mine and Dustin's performance!'

Wendy beamed. 'That should convince him!'

Ashley stumbled in through the door, her head hanging rather low. The staunch diva was accustomed to a different stride …

'Ashley'? Megan wondered.

Ashley wondered about herself. She had milked Logan like a fat cow for over a year, and now as he had gone thin, he had become worthless for her. Or at least that was what had been her intention when she had started dating the son of a rich and most influential Hollywood producer. But now, when said moment had come and Logan was practically worthless, she seemed not only to have got some remorses, she simple couldn't do it … 'I can't drop Logan like a hot iron!'

Megan had heard about Logan being cut off, but she had never heard about Ashley dating Logan, although it had always made a lot of sense. 'You and Logan?'

Ashley nodded. While she broke down. 'I know, I've only used him to bolster my career in Malcolm's enterprise, but now that he's lost his credit card … I feel that I can't simply let him down.'

Megan was consternated because Ashley had been Logan's girlfriend for quite some time, using him as a lever to upgrade her career. 'You sleep your way into the business?'

'Hey! We've just been holding hands and hugging …' Ashly started weeping.

Megan sighed. Maybe she had been too harsh.

'I know what to do …' Ashley stopped weeping. 'I'll show Logan how to get Michael, Zoey, and so on pitying him …' Having said that, Ashley left through the window.

Megan shook her head. 'Aw Ashley …'

'Now I'm your favourite room-mate, ain't I?' Wendy beamed.

* * *

Doheny arrived at the PCA. 'OK, I've seen your video clip,' he told Dustin and Megan. It's fantastic!

Megan and Dustin grinned.

Wendy stormed across Doheny's way. 'Sir! My boyfriend has been tied to a flag post! May you free him?'

Doheny shrugged. 'OK?'

Wendy dragged Doheny into the park. They found poor Michael who floundered with a bunch of knots.

'Oh my dear!'Doheny sighed. 'Even I've got difficulties with these knots! Who made them?'

'Ranger Master Kenneth Billiam. Not Billy M., but Billiam!' answered a man around fifty years.

'He's my teacher for geography and history!' Megan explained, making Dustin and Wendy nod.

Michael sighed. 'I wanted to be like you, Sir Henry!' Michael admitted. 'So I've asked California's best knot-maker to tie me firmly, and …'

Billiam shrugged. 'Not even I know how to untie my own knots!'

Doheny fumbled with the knotted rope, over and over again. Finally he had freed poor Michael. 'OK, that's it! It was quite some challenge.'

'Enough of a challenge to get your fame up to the top?' Megan beamed.

Doheny smiled. 'Hey! That's it! If I can do the same thing with both of my hands tied behind my back, and my eyes blindfolded … over a fiery pool …'

Megan, Doheny, and Billiam high-fived.

* * *

Josh Nichols had been a great worshipper of Henry Doheny. He was sort of a hobby magician, but his tricks never worked out as well as those of the great master. Today, Josh was happy because Doheny had allowed him to be his assistant.

'Congrats!' Quinn smiled. 'Are you now ready for testing our latest invention, my airbag bra?'

'Sure!' Josh smiled happily. He counterchecked the wires that protruded from Quinn's shirt. 'Rigged and ready!'

Quinn nodded. 'Now … punch me against my chest!'

'What?' Josh was consternated. 'I can't do that to a girl!'

'Grrrrr!' Quinn sighed. 'That's sweet, but it has to be done.' Quinn moaned. 'OK, I'm going to walk into the wall, instead …' She closed her eyes and … Bang!

'Wow!' Josh was consternated when Quinn's cupsize went up to E, and the thing still appered growing.

'Hey! That's fun!' Quinn beamed.

'It is, baby!' Josh confirmed.

Drake and Lola bounded in.

Lola's eyes bugged out. 'You've invented the miraculous breast growth salve?'

Quinn shook her head.

Lola sighed. 'I would like to have one. With cup size F, it's much easier to make it into a real movie!'

'I love you with any cup size!' Drake admitted.

Lola nodded. 'I know, baby! Do you know that my aunt has got fake breasts?'

Drake shook his head.

Quinn sighed. 'I wouldn't have guessed that!' Alas, her breasts were still expanding. Quinn floundered.

'Damn!' Josh cursed. 'We should have thought of a button to stop inflation!'

Suddenly, Quinn's bra exploded, and scraps of her shirt and bra were sent flying across the dorm.

Stacey was startling from the noise. She walked in through the door and complained.

Quinn explained the situation.

'Fortunately, the girls in my family are famous for large cupsizes!' Stacey beamed proudly.

'Astronomical sizes!' Eric added, holding the telescope in his hand. 'Let's go, Stacey, today, Saturn will be visible from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.'

Stacey huggled Eric. 'Sure, sweetie! I love Saturn because of the rings!'

Lola, in turn, ordered a bunch of those airbrag bras. 'But only once you've fixed that problem with the explosion!'

Josh and Quinn nodded solemnly.

* * *

Logan had actually tried fool Zoey, Chase, and Michael into pitying him, but Megan's warning had reached them right in time.

'No mercy!' Zoey declared.

Chase and Michael agreed with Zoey.

Logan sighed with despair.

Ashley walked up to Logan. 'I love you in wealth and poverty alike, sweetheart! ' She sighed. 'Honestly!'

Logan purred. 'Aw Ashley!'

Zoey was perplexed.

'Don't tell anything about us to Malcolm!' Logan begged like a puppy.

Zoey agreed. 'OK, enough is enough! Let's watch Doheny!'

* * *

Doheny's performance was sensational. Within five minutes, he had freed himself from a dozen of Kenny Billiam's selected knots and survived being sawed into half both horizontally and vertically by Josh Nichols.

The audience moaned in awe.

Josh envied Doheny deeply, but Quinn just smiled. 'Hey! There's Lola with an airbag bra!'

Ashley saw Lola walk along. 'Grrrrrr … where did she get those things! I need to …'

Josh and Quinn chuckled. They were not yet ready to market their invention in the public, but time was going to come …

* * *

**Chapter 39 Don't Go!**

* * *

Megan was worried. Dustin had been called out of his classroom during classes. She met him again during the big break and wondered. 'What has been going on?'

Dusin sighed. 'My parents are moving to England for the next five years or so.'

Megan sighed. 'Listen, Dustin, it doesn't matter how far we are apart, I will always love you.'

Dustin wrapped his arms around Megan. 'Awwww!' He purred. 'Alas, I don't have to come with them if I don't want.' He sighed with relief. 'And I don't want to. And that's not just because of you …'

Megan listened carefully.

'There's the weather …'Dustin complained. 'Endless gales, mist, and rain …' He shuddered with disgust. 'There's the food, and there's that icky accent.'

Megan nodded. 'Yeah, it may be hard to get accustomed to all of that …' She shrugged. 'What is Zoey going to do?'

Dustin shrugged. 'I don't know what she's going to decide. Should I care?' He sighed.

* * *

'Zoey has been difficult at times, but I will miss her badly!' Quinn complained unto Josh. 'And I don't think that anything can stop her.'

Lola, sitting next to Drake, agreed. 'That's so true …' She sobbed. 'We've tried to talk some sense into her. But I think that since Chase had started to date Addie, there's nothing that could keep her here.'

Drake shrugged. 'Zoey had dragged me to the _Pacific Coast Academy_ in the first place.' There was no way he was going to be able to help missing Zoey. He started sobbing.

* * *

Megan lay flat on her bed, sobbing softly.

'What's up, Megs?' Janie and Wendy asked her unison.

Megan moaned. 'Zoey is going to leave for England!'

Wendy nodded. 'Yeah, Jeremiah Trottman has already spread it over the PCA News Channel.'

'Aw, I could do things to Trottman!' Megan clenched her fists. 'Terrible things! Until dystopia!'

'Yeahm, do that!' Wendy grinned enthusiastically. 'Er … what is a dystopia?'

Megan nodded. 'That's some dark vision of future event …'

Wendy was almost going to throw up.

* * *

Zoey was in her dorm, getting her belongings together. This wasn't really easy. Many things remembered her too closely of intensive moments she had gone through at the PCA. Her plush squid was particularly important. She had bought him briefly before she had seen Rebecca and Chase. Dustin had puked on it. She shuddered. And then the death of Chase's grandma … but Zoey forced herself into going through all of this. There was no reason left for her to stay at the PCA, so she better moved on and got over it. Chase had got his Addie, and they were such a cute couple, Zoey didn't want to mess with them.

Megan knocked and stepped through the open door.

Zoey was surprised. 'Megan!' She stuttered. ' What are you doing here?' She had an idea. 'Has Dustin sent you in order to keep me from leaving? If he needs me so much, he should not stay here!' Zoey recovered her cool.

Megan shook her head. She grabbed Zoey's wrist and told her to sit down.

Zoey was flabbergasted, but she sat down, as requested.

Megan sighed. 'OK, Zoey, Dustin will miss you badly, he doesn't talk about that, but I know that he will. Whatever, he hasn't sent me. He is afraid of the weather and other changes that have nothing to be with us, or with your parents, or your friends. My love for Dustin is strong enough to endure a few years of separation, until we're old enough to survive without our parents' help. If London had been a unique chance for him, I would't have stopped him.'

Zoey didn't understand. 'But … who did? Chase? He has got Addie!'

Megan sighed. 'See, Chase had wanted you badly for quite some time, but both of you were thought that you wouldn't have a future as girlfriends and boyfriends break up too fast. This may be true, but doesn't have to be. Dustin and I, we've tried hard to show you how to have your cake and eat it.'

Zoey sighed. 'It works for you, and that's great. But Chase and I, we are a different breed altogether …'

Megan chuckled. 'I've come to see that. And Addie has got such a natural understanding for Chase. But, boyfriends shouldn't be the real reason for staying or leaving, and you know that.'

Zoey nodded. 'OK, but who sent you?'

Megan shuddered. 'Nobody. I don't want you to go.'She hugged Zoey tightly.

'What?' Zoey was consternated.

Megan sighed. 'Oops! It wasn't meant as it looks like … ' She chuckled within. 'OK, see, I need you here, but so do all the middle school girls, and even more the elementary school girls and the generations of girls at the PCA to come.'

Zoey was puzzled.

Megan explained. 'See, the school had been a boys-only thing until you arrived. And in the beginning, it was a realm exclusively dominated by boys, especially jerks like Logan Reese.'

Zoey nodded.

'Things have changed ever since.' Megan looked sternly at Zoey. 'And that's down to you!'

'Yeah, but …' Zoey shrugged.

'We younger girls here need someone to look up to.' Megan stated firmly. 'You have been that figure for over three years. May you imagine what will happen if you budge away like a mean coward?'

Zoey looked sheepish. 'You can care very well for yourself!'

'That's not the same!' Megan insisted harshly. 'We try to, but still we need a powerful example, your example. Or do you want that the jerks reseize control over life at this school where you have spent three important years of your life?'

Zoey had temporarily lost her voice. She didn't care to contradict. Then she sighed deeply. She stammered: 'OK … I better stay!'

Megan cheered and counced around, alerting the neighbours, including Quinn, Lola, Drake, and Josh.

* * *

Megan followed Zoey to the lounge. 'No word to Jeremiah Bratman!' She gazed at the onlookers.

Zoey sighed deeply. 'The PCA has become my home and castle. I need to defend it, not leave it to the bandits and coyotes!' She sat down.

Neither Lola and Quinn, nor any of the boys understood Zoey's talk about bandits and coyotes, but that didn't matter.

* * *

Zoey met her mother for a last time before the flight to London. 'Mom, I've changed my mind …'

Mrs. Brooks was a bit flabbergasted, but … 'It's OK! We'll write you often …'

Mr. Brooks nodded. 'And Dean Rivers will report regularly how you're doing!.'

Megan joined Zoey.

'She told me to stay!' Zoewy smiled.

Mr. and Mrs. Brooks looked puzzled.

'Hey! It's not what you think …' Zoey shook her head. 'But you better get accustomed to her, for she's Dustin's fiancé… Megan Parker.'

Mr. and Mrs. Brooks choked hard. Dustin had not told much about Megan, but he had dropped a few innocent clues. 'Er … OK … whatever!' They hugged their daughter and went to say good-bye to Dustin who was still in the boys' lounge.

* * *

A plane took off into the clear blue sky, life is a long lost list of last good-byes.[39:1]

* * *

**Chapter 40 Laser Surgery**

* * *

Josh and Quinn proundly presented their latest invention: Laser surgery!

Josh had a few remorses because they were no accredited medics.

Quinn had to think for a while. 'OK, you're right, my cuddlebear!'

Josh purred.

Quinn nodded. 'Let Dr. Glazer test it!'

Drake moaned. 'Dr. Ripoff Glazer?'

Quinn nodded. 'I don't know any other medic nearby.'

Megan chuckled. 'He looks a lot like Dustin's dad …'

'True …'Quinn snickered. 'But that's not a problem. All it takes is some DNA sample …'

'And that's so easy to get …' Josh remarked sarcastically. ' Mr. Brooks is in London!'

Megan grinned. 'Maybe Dustin or Zoey have some DNA sample? Some parents give their kids a curl of their hair or stuff like that as a talisman when they go far away …'

Lola grinned. 'Yeah! My mom gave me …' She whispered something into Drake's ear. 'I would have died if I had moved into a boarding school without something to remind me always of my mom!'

Megan nodded. 'OK, let me ask Dustin!'

* * *

Chase, Logan, and Michael were sitting in their dorm.

'In ten minutes, Addie, Wendy, and Ashley will wait for us at the smoothie station!' Chase urged Logan and Michael who were fumbling with a mini-helicopter..

Logan grinned. 'It's a 14k buck thing … and there it goes!' He cheered for he had found the right button, after having looking for it for more than two hours. 'And on it goes!'

'yeah!' Michael grinned. 'That rocks!'

Logan held the remote control, but he had no clue how to handle it properly.

'Attention!' Chase yelled. 'The window is open …'

Alas, his remark came too late. The helicopter had just found its way out through the window, taking a course across the campus.

'Come back!' Logan yelled.

'Too bad helis don't understand your language!' Michael moaned.

Logan and Michael started fighting over the remote control.

Chase begged them to stop it, but they refused to listen. 'Oops!' His voice froze with dismay when he saw the helicopter screwing its way into the administration building.

'Oh oh …' Michael wasn't exactly pleased when he noticed that.

Logan lacked the words.

* * *

Megan had explained the situation unto Dustin.

'Quinn may save herself from doing all the DNA stuff …' Dustin sighed. 'Sorry for not having told you earlier, but Dr. Glazer is my uncle.' He lowered his head in shame.

Megan sobbed. She threw her arms around Dustin. 'You don't need to feel bad for not having told me … really, I wouldn't have admitted being related to Drake and Josh if it hadn't been too obvious …'

'So you don't hate me for …' Dustin stammered.

'How could I!' Megan shook her head and snuggled up to Dustin. ' Anyways, your uncle should test Quinn's and Josh's new invention, shouldn't he?'

'Cool!' Dustin beamed.

* * *

Dr. Glazer shook his head. 'That's impossible! I can't just use this thing which has not been approved by the central office for medical machines in some random surgery!'

Quinn and Josh sighed.

Suddenly, the loudspeakers turned active. 'Emergency! Emergency! Paging Dr. Glazer! A grave accident in the administration building!'

Dr. Glazer shrugged. 'And off I am …'

Quinn and Josh sighed with disappointment. They wondered what sort of urgent case Dr. Glazer had just been called to.

* * *

'Jeremiah Trottman, PCA News, Channel for heavy injuries. We're here in the administration building …' Trottman and his gang blocked the corridor.

'Let me pass!' Dr. Glazer thundered.

Beverly loked through the door from Dean Rivers's office. 'Hurry up!'

'What happened, mam?' Dr. Glazer still struggled.

Beverly sighed. 'All of a sudden, such a helicop came flying through the window, and …'

'Oh my God!' Dr. Glazzer's face froze when he saw Dean Rivers cringing on the floor, his face covered with blood. The mini-helicopter had shredded his nose.

Finally, Vince Blake arrived and pushed Jeremiah Trottman and his pals aside, letting Dr. Glazer pass.

The medic scrutinised Dean Rivers. 'That's serious! He has been hit by some model plane last year, and now this … '

Tipper Rivers, the wife of the headmaster, just arrived. Her face was ice cold. 'Can't the pupils here get anything done right? Why do they always stop halfway?' She thundered across the administration building.

'He needs immediate surgery!' Dr. Glazer concluded.

'Do we need to take him to Pacific Coast Hospital downtown?' Beverly asked.

Dr. Glazer shook his head. 'The next hospital appropriately equipped is St. Schneider's in San Diego. [40:1] ' He was desperate. 'But there's one chance left. Quinn Pensky and Josh Nichols have invented a new machine for laser surgery. It has never been tested, but we've got no choice!'

Beverly sighed with relief.

'Chances are one in a million that …' Dr. Glazer sighed.

'Yeah!' Tipper Rivers cheered enthusiastically.

* * *

After six hours of surgery and waiting …

'Dean Rivers is safe …' Dr. Glazer sighed with relief. 'I've never done anything like that before, but it worked out!'

Bevery shrugged. 'I guess it was really close!'

Dr. Glazer nodded. 'Have the culprits been found?'

* * *

Chase, Michael, and Logan were hiding in the attic.

There were voices outside, mentioning some password.

Michael opened, allowing Wendy, Addie, and Ashley to enter. 'Baby meals!' Michael's mouth turned wet. He had not eaten anything in two days.

'Quinn asked us whether you prefer cucumbermelon or mashed peas and carrots,' Wendy proferred.

Logan sighed. But he had no choice other than eating the remains of what other pupils had left for them, until the whole affair had been puffing away.

Megan, Dustin, Lola, and Drake smiled. They watched Quinn and Josh repairing the helicopter that had burst into smithereens after the collision with Dean Rivers.

Quinn smiled. 'The cheque over a few hundreds of bucks … I guess we may afford even a dinner at Vaccaro's …'

'Yeah, snugglebabe!' Josh smiled. 'And the heli works again!'

'Now let's ruin the face of Mrs. Hayfer?' Drake suggested.

Megan and Dustin grinned satanically.

* * *

**Chapter 41 The Lion sleeps tonight**

* * *

Coco's work was very messy. Dean Rivers had threatened to fire her over and over, yet she never improved. Now she had heard that Dean Rivers collected artworks about lions. Thereupon, she had decided to …

Dean Rivers, jardly back from the surgery and just ready to have a look at some urgent issues, entered his office, and … 'Aaaarggggh!' His heart stopped beating when he heard a living lion roar right into his face, displaying its pointy and smelly teeth.

Beverly had to call Dr. Glazer — once again!

This was going to become a tradition at the PCA, or so it seemed.

But where was the lion?

Hell, that damn' window was open again, hence the lion must have escaped and been bound for the campus.

Dean Rivers's last words before collapsing again declared Coco to be fired, for good. _Enough was enough, and that had been way too much._

Jeremiah Trottman was fast as usual, trying to cover the whole thing for the PCA News Channel.

Beverly told Jeremiah about the lion, sending the coward flee across the campus, screaming with agony.

* * *

Drake and Josh were ready for a double date with Lola and Quinn when the news about the lion reached them right in their dormitory room.

'Eeeeew!' Josh trembled. 'I'm afraid of lions!'

Drake hid under his bed and tried to pull Josh the same way.

Alas, Josh's head was too big — way too big!

'Hide in the wardrobe!' Drake suggested.

Josh followed Drake's idea.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Megan bounded in. 'Hey boobs! Where are you?' She looked around. She knew that they must have been hiding somewhere. 'Have you got a cup of milk for my new pet cat? I've just found him all alone one on the campus. Come in, pussy cat!' Megan grinned. 'I call him Simba.[41:1] '

The lion snuck in through the door. He smelled Drake and Josh.

Josh didn't see that.

Drake saw the paws of the beast and trembled piteously.

'Drake!' Megan boomed. 'I know that you are down there!' She kneeled and bowed down, eying Drake. Then she pulled the trembling coward from his hideout.

Drake remained resilient.

Megan cuddled with the purring beast. 'He's harmless when I'm with him!'

Drake dared to show up. But he refused to pet Simba as Megan did.

Simba sniffed and sensed Josh, which showed Megan where he was hiding.

Megan opened the door. 'Hi coward! Simba won't eat you as long as I'm around!'

Josh sighed.

* * *

_69 Bell Hall_

Two days later, Lola complained. 'My new beauty set is gone. It was in my dorm.'

Drake shrugged. 'I guess it was Quinn.'

'Yeah!' Lola boomed. 'Fess up, Quinn!'

Josh protected Quinn. 'She would never do that!'

'One of my jogging shoes is gone,' Quinn complained. Lola, fess up!

Lola laughed. 'Your feet stink! Why would I …'

Quinn was infuriated.

Eric knocked and entered. 'Hi! Stacey misses three family packs of cotton swabs.'

'Who would want to take her swabs away?' Drake grinned heartily.

* * *

'Since they have got a new dorm adviser, Zoey and her mates are missing personal things,' Dustin complained.

Megan concluded, 'so the new dorm bitch is a cleptomaniac?'

'Is that something to eat?' Ashley wondered.

Megan laughed. 'No, it means she's addicted to stealing …'

'She will pay for that!' Wendy swore.

Megan nodded. 'I have to return Simba to the zoological park of Fresno… tomorrow. But tonight …' She grinned diabolically.

* * *

Drake Parker took his guitar and played _The Lion Sleeps Tonight_[41:2]. '_Uyimbube_[41:3] , _uyimbube_, _uyimbube_ …'

Lola purred in Drake's arms. Then he heard a noise. He pushed a button on his cell. 'The antilopa has left its den!'

Mira, the new dorm adviser, entered Lola's dorm and started grabbing some items.

Suddenly …

Simba appeared right in front of Mira, making her scream in agony.

She fled in terror and was never to be seen again on the campus of the _Pacific Coast Academy_.

Drake hugged Megan. 'You rock, sis!'

Megan grinned. 'You've been OK, too!'

Lola cheered and had to tell Quinn and Zoey.

They were soon going to see their lost property again …

* * *

Megan and Simba walked past Dean Rivers who had called the overseer of the next lion's ward. 'OK, Sir, there's your pussy cat back!'

The beastmaster sighed. He had never seen such a little, innocent-looking girl holding such a strong command over a lion.

Dean Rivers sighed with relief when Simba entered the special van. 'Thanks anyways … I think I have got to take Coco back … she may be a messy and a boer, but she doesn't steal anything except when she's hungry like a lion … oops!'

Megan nodded solemnly. 'Coco has already prepared a less dangerous gift for you!'

* * *

Dean Rivers saw something large standing in the campus court, covered with a blanket.

Coco removed the large sheet. 'Stacey helped me …'

Dean Rivers's eyes bugged out when he saw a sculpture of Simba, made from cotton swabs, white glue, and ravioli cans.

Eric, Craig, and Stacey screamed and bounced around.

Megan smiled. She walked over to Dustin. 'I miss Simba … then again …' She sighed. 'You're my favourite Simba, always and ever!'

Dustin swooned. 'And you're my favourite Nala[41:4], always and ever! '

They rubbed their noses tenderly against each other's, purring like lions.

* * *

**Chapter 42 A New Custodian**

* * *

The term break was much too short for Dustin and Zoey to go to London and visit their parents.

For that avail, Zoey had joined Kenneth Billiam, Coco Wexler, Walter Nichols, Josh Nichols, Quinn Pensky, Addie Singer, Chase Matthews, Michael Barret, Wendy Gellar, Logan Reese and Ashley Blake on a camping trip to Yosemite Park, the danger of wild bears notwithstanding.

Audrey had finally noticed what had been going on between Walter and Coco for over two years. Thence she did not allow Drake and Megan to join the camping trip — they wouldn't have wanted to do so, anyways, as they were disgusted.

Thus they returned to San Diego over the vacations. They were even allowed to bring Dustin and Lola along with them.

Stacey Dillsen had been promised by her parents to be taken on a skiing trip to Colorado. Craig and Eric had joined in.

Alas, Stacey's parents hadn't yet shown up.

* * *

Megan had enjoyed those vacations, exactly like Drake, Dustin, and Lola.

Tonight, they went to _Premiere Theater_ in order to watch a replay of Lola's short movie where she screamed like a high-toned fury.

Drake had to pay for the tickets, the popcorn, and the smoothies.

'Before leaving the campus …' Drake told his friends and sister, 'I've made a bet with Craig that Stacey's come will never come to see her.'

'That's pretty mean …' Megan admitted. 'Hence I like it … what are the stakes?'

'If I win, Craig is going to do my laundry for the rest of the school time..' Drake beamed proudly.

'Cool!' Megan smiled. 'Almost three months! But … what if you lose?'

'Then I have to play the guitar for Craig, some folk tune …' Drake sighed. 'But it won't happen.'

Lola and Dustin chuckled.

Crazy Steve, an employee of the cinema, was ready to run the movie. 'Shut up, you scumbags!' He bellowed at an old lady in the front row.

'Is he always like that?' Dustin and Lola wondered.

Drake and Megan nodded solemnly.

* * *

'I like this scene more and more …' Megan admitted. 'The cold-hearted scream, that is …'

Lola smiled. 'Thanks!' She high fived with her future sister-in-law.

Suddenly, they noticed Helen discussing with the old woman that Steve had insulted, right at the beginning of the movie.

Helen stepped up to Steve. 'You can't talk to my grandma like that! Only to Josh! And you know it!'

'I may talk to whomever in any way I want to,' Steve insisted, yelling furiously.

'Enough is enough,' Helen concluded. 'You're fired! Get out of here now!'

Megan sighed. 'Crazy Steve has always been the most fun employee here!'

Drake nodded. 'I have loved it how he yelled at Josh!'

'A propos Josh … I've called him on the phone last night …' Megan chuckled. 'He can't open his brownie box, because he had sealed it bear-proof.'

Drake giggled insanely.

* * *

Finally, the vacations were over.

When Drake halted his car, he saw Stacey, Eric, and Craig sulking at the campus entrance.

They had apparently not been made it to skiing vacations.

He beamed.

'Hi Drake!' Craig grinned.

'OK, Craig, apparently there was no skiing trip …' Megan grinned fanatically. 'Now get Drake's laundry done. It is extra-dirty!' She grinned sadistically.

'Wait!' Eric intervened. 'Our bet was not about the skiing trip, but only about Stacey's mother.'

'OK …' Drake shrugged. 'And so?'

'My mom showed up last night …' Stacey sobbed. 'But just to tell me that she's going to get a divorce from dad.'

Eric wrapped his arms tenderly around Stacey, comforting her.

Drake would have banged his head against a wall, but that good old stone wall had been distroyed two years ago when Mindy and Quinn had demonstrated their warbots' fire power. _Why did everyone and his dog have to divoce nowadays?_

Megan looked disappointed. She would have preferred Drake to win the bet. 'OK … does it count if I play something on my oboe?'

Eric shook his head. 'The stakes involved Drake and his guitar!'

Megan sighed. 'OK, but I may back him up with my oboe, in addition to Drake and his guitar?' She knew that this would have been much less embarrassing for Drake.

Eric shrugged. 'OK! By the way … we've been honoured by Dean Rivers for a heroic deed!'

Stacey and Craig chuckled.

'What deed?' Megan asked.

'Custodian Finnegan has stolen the golf trophy from Rivers's showcase,' Craig explained. 'He wanted to destroy it because he had envied Dean Rivers for having been the captain of the golf team, three decades ago.'

'But I've punched the villain left and right!' Eric bragged.

Megan shrugged. 'Aren't you a pacifist?'

'Pacifists? Those are guys from an island in the Pacific Ocean, right?' Drake wondered.

Megan glared at Drake. 'Please keep your ignorance inside the family and leave the rest to me …' she whispered into her brother's ears. 'Pacifists are anti-violence people.'

'Oh!' Drake sighed, thoroughly ashamed.

Stacey giggle. 'He wanted to show me a move he had seen in a movie about martial arts, and … bang … Finnegan lay flat on his face!'

Drake laughed so hard, he had to flounder to keep himself afoot.

Finally, the participants of the field trip to Yosemite park came back.

Drake and Megan huggled the hell out of Josh, while Dustin did the same to Zoey.

Eric sighed. 'After all, we now need a new custodian.'

Megan grinned. 'Oh, I already know someone.' She looked at Drake who, apparently, had got the same idea.

* * *

Megan blew her oboe while Drake strummed his guitar, accompanying Craig who started singing.

* * *

Early one morning  
Just as the sun was rising  
I heard a maiden sing in the valley below.  
Oh don't deceive me  
Oh never leave me  
How could you use a poor maiden so …

* * *

Lola and Dustin forced everyone to chime in.

At the campfire, they told exaggerated stories about Eric's heroic deed.

'Oh, did I already tell you that I've invented new ways to open a can of ravioli in the wilderness …' Josh boasted. 'Without using a tin opener?'

Megan shrugged. 'Yeah. But I could bet Drake can open a can faster with his teeth than you with your calculations.'

Drake chuckled.

Crazy Steve, wearing the PCA custodian's uniform, snuck up to Josh and passed him an old broom. 'Clean the bonfire place for me!' He yelled at Josh, just as in the good old times back at Premiere Theater.

* * *

Dean Rivers swooned when he woke up and saw a new sculpture in the admin hall. It was a golf trophy, made exclusively of cotton swabs and white glue, apparently by Stacey Dillsen. 'Yeah! Free smoothies for everyone!'

* * *

**Chapter 43 James Garrett**

* * *

At the start of the new term, a few new students urged to the Pacific Coast Academy.

One of them was James Garrett, a tall blond rake from New Mexico. He made his way across the campus asking for the way to get something to eat.

Logan and Michael refused to help him.

'Hi, I may help you …' Zoey Brooks offered unto James. 'We've got the best sushi takeout in the whole LA area …'

'Sushi?' James grumbled. 'Hey! I love sushi!'

Zoey nodded. 'OK … off to the sushi takeout!'

Jack and Janie saw this scene. They worked their way back to Janie's dormitory hall.

* * *

'Hi!' Megan greeted Janie.

Dustin was around, too.

Jack was out of breath, but … 'Dustin, your sister is dating some blond rake called James!'

'James Garrett?' Megan sighed. 'The new roomie of Mark del Figgalo?'

Janie nodded. 'That's him!'

Megan scratched her head. 'What if he isn't worthy of Zoey?'

Dustin trembled. 'Yeah, it could be a mean jerk …'

Megan and Dustin agreed on spying James.

* * *

Megan and Dustin hid behind some shrubbery when they watched James and Zoey eating their dinner.

'OK, James.' Zoey smiled. 'So, you are really new here?'

James nodded. 'Yeah. I'm from New Mexico …'

'Wow!' Zoey choked because James didn't look like a native or a Latino or a blend, but like a pure-bred wasp or even a Scandinavian

'Oh, you think that people in new Mexico are shorter and dark haired?' James giggled, making Zoey nod. 'Well, I'm not born in New Mexico. My dad had found a job there. My ancestors are from Sweden, and my family was born in Yakima, State of Washington[43:1] . My cousin Denifer[43:2] has been here at PCA for some time, and he told my dad how nice it is here …' James sighed. 'So he has sent me right here.'

Zoey beamed. 'Good for you!'

James nodded. 'I think my roomie Del Figgalo is downright boring, but it isn't his fault.'

Zoey nodded.

James stuffed some more dead fish between his teeth.

Zoey chuckled.

At the same time, Dustin and Megan grumbled.

'I've researched about James on the interweb …' Megan admitted, not much to Dustin's surprise. 'And he had been a real freak, back at Santa Fé in New Mexico. Worse than Dork Del Figgalo!'

Dustin choked.

Zoey and James were done eating.

'Is there anything else on the campus that you want me to show you?' Zoey asked James.

Dustin coughed. 'Is she crazy?'

Megan shrugged. She took a telescope from her bag. 'OK, this is Stacey's astronomical telescope, with some recent improvements added by Mindy. Stacey and Eric say that they may discern green guys on the Mars with it …'

Dustin beamed. 'OK, let's take turns …'

Zoey and James stood up and walked away.

Megan grinned. 'They are going to the fountain …' She reported everything she saw to Dustin. Then she gave him the telsescope.

Dustin became more and more anxious. 'It looks like they are going to watch a movie … damn!'

'Let's don fake spectacles and fake beards!' Megan grinned.

* * *

Megan and Dustin bought tickets for the same movie that Zoey and James were going to watch, some cheesy chick flick.

Dustin coughed.

He and Megan sat two rows behind James and Zoey.

As the movie went along, and the poppcorn was all but gone, the inevitable happened: James pressed his lips against Zoey's mouth.

Dustin was consternated. He puked onto the floor.

'Oh my dear, now it happened …' Zoey kissed James back.

Megan ran up to Josh who was responsible for the performance of the movie. 'Stop!' She poked him into the ribs.

Josh halted the movie and turned the lights on.

Now everyone saw what James and Zoey were doing.

The blonds gasped and were consternated.

Josh shrugged helplessly. 'Why did I have to …' Then he recognised the fake beard and spectacle. 'Aw Megan!'

Megan sighed and unmasked herself.

Dustin did the same.

Megan walked up to consternated Zoey. 'How could you do that? In front of your little brother's eyes?'

Zoey turned around and saw Dustin, noticing that he had just thrown up. 'Oh no, Dustin!'

Megan moaned. 'I had to throw up everytime Drake had a new girlfriend. It's understandable. But I've never thought that Zoey could sink that low!'

Josh shrugged. 'Did you and Dustin spy after his sister?'

Dustin nodded sadly.

Zoey shrugged helplessly.

'Do you know that James is really a freak?' Megan asked Zoey. 'I've found those pics on the interweb … James the entomologist, James the captain of the chess team, …'

James sighed. 'Girls have always followed me in droves. When I went to New Mexico, I've hidden myself behind a freaky outfit. Sorry.'

Zoey was now really upset. 'You research James's past, you follow us under cover, are you insane? I have to report that to mom and dad!' She bellowed at Dustin who sobbed.

'I'll report that to Drake …' Josh boomed at Megan. 'And he will tell mom …'

'Don't do that!' James sighed. 'They were just worried about Zoey. And, besides, you would have done the same thing for your younger siblings.'

Josh sighed. 'Too true … OK, James could have been a real jerk or so … think of Glen Davis and Lance Rivers.'

Zoey sighed deeply. _Yeah, especially Lance … that had been such a humiliating experience._ She lowered her head in shame. 'OK, Dustin, you just wanted to not let me get hurt, right?'

Dustin nodded vigorously.

Zoey shrugged. 'And I've just tried to be nice to James. Crap happens.'

James agreed. 'Sorry for the kiss. It would have been too strange to be true. See, when Denifer came hereto, he met that Stacey girl. They started dating soon, but it proved so wrong …' He sighed. 'I should have been warned.'

'OK …' Josh grumbled. 'May I resume the movie?'

Everyone nodded.

* * *

Drake and Josh relaxed on their beds.

'Too true … I would have been very suspicious of Megan's new boyfriend … ' Drake remarked. 'But when Dustin and Megan started dating, I knew that he wasn't a dork like you …'

'Thanks!' Josh remarked sarcastically.

'Or a jerk like me …' Drake added, beguiling Josh. 'He is just what Megan needs. But I couldn't sleep well if I didn't know that is so, or that Quinn really deserved you. You remember when Megan and I were suspicious of Quinn and Sarah. Siblings should care that much about each other.'

Josh smiled because he agreed wholeheartedly with Drake. 'If I didn't know that Lola is right in your league, I …'

Drake chuckled. 'That's OK. Hug me, brother!'

* * *

**Chapter 44 Peanuts**

* * *

_69 Bell Hall_.

Quinn smiled. 'The chocolate hull of those new, improved choconuts is so delicious.' She swooned.

'But you're allergic against peanuts!' Josh remarked.

Quinn nodded. 'Certainly, and that's why I put the peanut core back into the bowl after licking the chocolate.'

Josh sighed. 'But what if someone else comes and wants to eat the peanuts you've left behind?'

In this moment, Drake and Lola entered the dormitory room.

'Hi Drake!' Josh greeted his step-brother.

Lola carried a bowl which was filled with peanut cores.

Quinn recognised the bowl on site.

Lola smiled. 'Mouthfeed me!' she commanded Drake sweetly.

'Of course, honeybun!' Drake started obeying to Lola's wish.

Josh was flabbergasted. 'Quinn, you have to tell them …'

Quinn sighed and denied to talk about it, fearing that Lola and Drake were going to be totally upset, with the consequences turning more terrible with each peanut. But finally, she couldn't withstand her remorses. 'Stop it! Those are choconut cores … I've licked the chocolate off them …' she stammered nervously.

'Geek germs!' Drake shuddered with disgust.

Lola didn't feel any less disgusted.

Drake and Lola raced to the window and emptied their stomachs in one swipe.

A torrent of some warm, stinky sewage poured downward and hit Craig, Eric, and Vince right on their heads.

* * *

Megan sobbed when she entered Dustin's dorm.

'Sweetheart!' Dustin was concerened.

'Ashley is such a meanie, she yelled at me when I was too late for a run to the shops …' Megan sighed.

Dusting grunted. 'Logan wasn't any different. And he didn't have the guts to do that in person, he left a message on my mail box!' He sighed. 'I need to earn more money to buy a webcam for mom!'

Megan sighed. 'I need a new plasma screen for mom.'

'Zoey would chop Logan's head off, I'm sure!' Dustin remarked.

Megan shrugged. 'If Drake and Josh did anything to Ashley, Vince would stick them head over heels into a basketball hoop …'

Dustin and Megan sat sadly on Dustin's bed.

* * *

Wendy huggled Michael. 'Hi Honey! Do you already know that …'

Wendy appeared upset. 'Know what?' Michael asked with concern.

'Jack and Janie told me that … Logan and Ashley …' Wendy sighed. 'They treat their errant guys Megan and Dustin like dirt!'

Michael sighed. 'Not again … Logan is such a pest!'

* * *

Soon thereafter, Michael had collected Zoey, Drake, and Josh. 'You've got to do something!'

'If we do something against Ashley …' Josh trembled. 'Vince will torture us! Especially since Drake hit him with his vomit.'

Drake coughed. 'That's because your Quinn poisoned us with her germs!'

Zoey wondered. 'Er … did she perform any new experiments with her bacteria?'

Drake shook his head and explained the situation. Alas, now Josh and Drake were at each other's throat.

'Stop it!' Zoey yelled at the top of her lungs. 'I'm going to club Logan and Ashley into oblivion. I'm not afraid of Vince Blake!'

'But he even defeated Chuck Javers!' Josh trembled.

Along came James Garrett. 'Hi Zoey, hi boys!'

Michael explained the situation unto James, begging him to find a less violent way to get back at Logan and Ashley.

'By the way, Quinn and Lola refuse to talk to each other …' Zoey sighed. Alas, now she knew the reason — those licked peanuts! Zoey had to do something about that!

Chase and Addie found Megan and Dustin in the park. 'OK, kids, you're looking for new jobs?'

Dustin and Megan nodded solemnly.

'I've got to concentrate on my assignments …' Chase sighed. ' Hence I can't work as much for Kazu as a delivery boy as I used to do …'

Addie nodded. 'He already had to cut down on me.' She sighed deeply.

Chase licked Addie's temples tenderly.

Dustin looked at Megan who looked back. 'Off to Kazu!' They yelled unison, making Chase and Addie smile.

* * *

Dustin and Megan told Kazu their story.

'Logan Reese … always the same thing …' Kazu sighed. 'Of course you may work for me!'

Dustin and Megan cheered.

'Oh, there's the list of deliveries … most of them are for …' Kazu coughed. 'Logan Reese! And he always calls at the most impossible times. And he's two weeks late with payment, although he's the richest brat on campus! That cries for some particularly spicy tuna!'

* * *

Megan and Dustin took a package of dead fish and other icky stuff to Logan's dorm. They knocked and ran away, hiding behind the next ficus that stood in the foyer.

Logan opened the door. 'Nobody there, sweetheart … ' he told Ashley.

Ashley was upset. 'Do they always have to interrupt our private fashion masses?'

Logan shrugged. 'Oh, there's sushi! … Free sushi!'

Ashley beamed. 'Cool! I could swallow a whole school of tuna!'

Logan grinned and grabbed the delivered sushi, sharing it with Ashley.

Alas, there must have been some particularly hot sauce making its way into their sushi. Ashley and Logan felt like breathing flames. 'You damn' delivery boys! You are …' They launched a series of insults of the worst sort that penetrated the hall.

Zoey passed by, followed by Dean Rivers. 'Do you believe me now, Logan Reese is insane!'

'Reese! Blake!' boomed consternated Dean Rivers. 'Detention for the rest of the term! And a checkup by the school's shrink! One more complaint, and you're out, for good!'

Logan wanted to remind Dean Rivers that his dad was the main sponsor of the PCA, and that he couldn't simply dismiss Logan. But he preferred to shut up, for otherwise Malcolm Reese would get to know about Logan's feelings for Ashley, and Logan couldn't afford that. He sighed deeply.

* * *

There was one delivery left for Megan. It was for _101 Brenner Hall_ : Lola Martinez …

'Come in!' Lola smiled sweetly. She took the delivery from Megan and handed her the payment and a small tip.

Megan smiled. 'Thanks! I've already gathered quite a few tips today.'

Lola grinned. 'Good for you!' She unwrapped her sushi box. Then she chewed the sea weed off the sushi rolls.

'You don't eat the fish?' Megan wondered.

Lola shook her head. 'Tuna is too fat … and I need to stay slim for my next rôle'

Megan shrugged and waved.

Quinn bounded in. 'Yummy, tuna!' She beamed and took Lola's leftovers.

Lola coughed. Should she tell Quinn that she had licked the sea weed off the rolls? _That would be the best revenge for the choconut onslaught! But somehow …_ 'Don't do it! I've licked the sea weed off the rolls!'

Quinn startled. 'OK?' She sighed. 'Thanks for telling me. You could have …'

'I know …' Lola admitted. 'And I've almost wanted to. But in the last moment …'

'Aw Lola!' Quinn smiled and huggled her roomie.

In the same moment, bickering Drake and Josh bounded in and wondered. 'What's going on here? Why are they huggling? They were so done with each other! Just like the two of us!'

Megan chuckled. 'Who cares, but you should do the same!' She pushed Drake towards Josh, making the boobs hug the same way as Quinn and Lola did. Then she grinned and bounded out, looking for Dustin.

* * *

**Chapter 45 Stable Relationship**

* * *

_153 Dillard Hall_.

Megan huggled Janie. 'I'm so glad that we're roomies!'

Janie nodded while she unpacked her belongings on her new bed.

Ashley Blake had been moving out after the less-than-pleasant incidents of the previous days, leaving space for Janie Wilson.

* * *

Also, Logan became less and less content with his roomies. He had already felt backstabbed by them after his troubles with Dustin and Megan, and now Michael seems to have added a last straw to break the elephant's back. 'Those cookies were a gift from one of my step mothers! Not that Helen Baxter wench my dad is currently lusting for, but … I think … his last but one … whatever!' Logan stomped his feet. 'That gift meant a lot to me, and you've swallowed all of the cookies!'

'No, I haven't!' Michael swore.

Logan scoffed in disbelief. 'Bleh!'

'A horse has followed me all the way from the post office to the dormitory blocks!' assured Michael.

'Forget it!' Logan boomed. 'Can't you think of a better excuse?'

'But I …' Michael stammered. 'It's true, I swear it by my grandma!'

Logan shrugged. 'And if you swore by Santa Claus, noone is going to believe you!'

'I do believe you!' Chase assured it unto his best friend. 'Horses can be … addicted?'

'Tell that whomever you want to …' Logan thundered. 'I'm out of here!' He hastily grabbed his belongings.

Chase and Michael looked all consternated.

* * *

'I'm glad that you're now with Janie in a dorm!' Josh smiled. ' Ashley has always strained my patience … a whole lot.'

Drake nodded. 'Mine too!'

Megan sighed. 'Yeah, but something tells me that I'm going to miss her!'

'I wonder whether Chase and Michael are going to miss Logan …' Josh chuckled. 'He has now moved in with Mark del Figgalo. Oh, you know that Mark has got a new girlfriend? Some Brooke Margolin …'

Drake choked. 'For me, that would be worse than capital punishment! And Brooke is much too hot for Mark … I mean, way less hot than Lola, but still …'

Megan agreed with Drake. 'I guess she's in his knitting classes and stuff … Do Michael and Chase get a new roomie?'

Drake shrugged.

'Oh, I think they've already got one …' Josh shrugged, chuckling silently.

'Who is it?' Megan listened.

'It walks on four feet, wears a saddle and harness and …' Josh chuckled.

'Oh my god!' Megan beamed. 'The beast is still following him?'

'Everywhere!' Josh moaned. 'Classes, lunch, cinema, showers …'

'What do we have the stables for?' Drake wondered.

'Yeah!' Megan hugged Drake. 'Great idea!'

* * *

Drake told Michael to station his horse in the stables that have been established when they were needed for Quinn's Alpaca, after Dean Rivers had given the permit to keep pets.

There was now already quite a bunch of hooved beasts stationed inside the stable.

* * *

Dean Rivers had been calling everywhere in the vicinities of the PCA, and he had found the legal owner of the horse that had been following Michael all around the campus:

It was one rich lady named Faye Dunaway who owned some twenty horses.

The name of the horse, so they figured, had been Winchester.

A few days later, Lady Dunaway arrived in order to fetch Winchester.

Inspite of having been annoyed in the first time, Michael sobbed when he had to render Winchester unto his legal owner. But he was allowed to visit him the weekends.

* * *

Dustin entered Megan's, Wendy's, and Janie's dorm. 'Megs … this morning, Jack and I, we've been feeding and shrubbing Stripes, as usual …' Stripes was a zebra that Megan had bought when the stables had been established. Dustin stammered. 'She had been throwing up …'

Megan's eyes bugged out. 'Oh my dear! Could it be that …' She grabbed her cellular phone and calle Dr. Laing, the veterinary surgeon that had always taken care of Otiz, Quinn's alpaca, and had moved from Seattle to Malibu when Quinn fetched Otiz to the PCA for good.

* * *

Dr. Laing had examined Stripes carefully and nodded. 'She's pregnant!'

Dustin and Megan glared at each other.

Michael almost threw up. 'Could it be that … Winchester and Stripes had a stable relationship?' He chuckled. 'Do you understand? A stable relationship?' He clackered noisily with his clacker balls while he said that.

Megan and Dustin chuckled as if the pun had been totally new unto them. They didn't want to spoil Michael's fun.

Dr. Laing shrugged. 'The horse might be the culprit …'

* * *

Faye Dunnaway was consternated. She sighed. 'But … hey … my daughter has always wanted some special horse!' She smiled. 'And nobody could say that a zebra blend was totally usual, could he? I'd gladly take the baby horse when it is born!'

Megan smirked. 'Totally! By the way, do you know that Winchester loves sushi?'

Faye shrugged, downright flabbergasted. 'Really? Wow! That's new to me! But I've totally noticed that Winchester is missing something since his return from your stables.' She sighed. 'But where do I get the sushi from — the sort that Winchester likes?'

Dustin chuckled. 'No problem! May I introduce Kazu?'

'Sayonara!' Kazu walked in.

Lady Dunnaway shook his hand. 'OK, I guess you run a sushi bar?'

'Just a takeout!' Kazu sighed. 'I can't pay for the insurance for a real sushi bar, since the old one had been incinerated.'

Megan chuckled.

'OK, Kazu … If you deliver me regularly sushi for Winchester, I'll pay your insurance fees for a whole year!' Mrs. Dunaway offered.

Kazu beamed. 'Deal!'

Dustin and Megan smiled: _Sushi Rox_ was soon going to be back to its old strength. And they had now got the regular job of delivering sushi for Winchester. And Lady Dunaway was a generous tip giver …

* * *

**Chapter 46 Per Mile**

* * *

Time had come for the annual charity walkathon at PCA.

Megan and Dustin had been practising a lot by jogging.

'Do you want to walk with me for the marathon event?' Megan asked Dustin.

He sighed. 'I'd love to, but I've already promised Zoey that we do that together!'

Megan shrugged. 'OK, I wish that Drake ran with me, but he's a bit lazy …'

Dustin nodded. 'But maybe we can persuade him …'

* * *

'Drake! Get up your lazy boob ass!' Megan boomed at Drake.

'Why should I?' Drake chuckled while blowing kisses at Lola who tried to knit a vest.

'For all the hobo kids!' Dustin remarked. 'We get sponsors to pay us for running!'

Megan smiled. 'Yeah! Once you're known as a charity star, there will be a lot more fans at your concerts!' Megan snickered.

'Cool!' Drake beamed.

Lola sighed. 'Knitting can be so hard!'

'Why don't you go to knitting classes?' Megan wondered.

'Because del Figgalo is there!' Lola almost threw up when she mentioned Mark.

Drake nodded. 'Totally obvious!'

Dustin held a list of sponsors. 'Do you want to sponsor me and Zoey?'

Megan grinned. 'Or Drake and me?'

Lola smiled. 'OK, I'm feeling generous. 15 bucks each!' She grabbed the sheets and entered her name, signing next to it.

Dustin and Megan smiled.

Megan grabbed Drake. 'OK, training time. Let's jog down to the beach and back!'

'Don't disappoint me!' Lola beamed. 'Damn' needles.'

* * *

'My fingers hurt!' Drake complained. He sank down on his bed.

'What hapened?' Josh was excited.

'Oh, Megan has talked me into participating in a charity walkathon.' Drake said. 'This is going to increase my popularity and my fan base!'

'Cool!' Josh beamed. 'Mind me rope jumping in here?'

'Please don't!' Drake moaned. 'I had to do that with Megan for two hours straight! And I don't want to disappoint Lola who has signed up as a sponsor. She pays fifteen bucks!'

'It's better not to disappoint her!' Josh smiled. 'Oh, is she still trying to knit you some new vest?'

Drake nodded. 'For the whole family …'

'By the way, do you remember Frazz?' Josh grinned.

Drake listened. 'The good old power drink we had in Yosemite?'

Josh nodded. 'Quinn and I, we've got it balanced by now. So if you need it for the walkathon …'

Drake beamed. 'Oh, there's an idea …'

* * *

It was a hot day under the Californian sun.

After half a mile, Mark del Figgalo broke down and needed to get dragged into Pacific Coast Hospital for reanimation.

Josh and Quinn stood at the sidelines and distributed drinks and snacks for the participants. One of the drinks was a bit different from the others …

* * *

Zoey and Dustin had made 18 miles already. They had left Megan and Drake a few miles behind, or so they thought.

'My legs hurt!'Dustin moaned.

Zoey nodded. 'I'm not making it much longer. Let's say … twenty miles and we'll call it a good deed?'

Dustin nodded solemnly.

* * *

'That's it!' Dustin fell on his knees, totally exhausted.

Zoey sweated all over. 'Aw, my thighs are cramping!' She pulled Dustin into a tight hug. 'Twenty miles! We've been great!'

Dustin smiled. 'Sure, sis!' He wondered where Drake and Megan had been giving up.

All of a sudden, a cloud of legs and dust appeared.

Drake and Megan passed by. They didn't appear all that much exhausted and waved nicely at Dustin and Zoey. 'Hi Brookses!'

Zoey and Dustin shrugged. 'Wow, they've got the hang out of it!'

* * *

Ten miles later, Drake and Megan felt that they had already gone way over their limits on such a red hot day. 'Thirty miles!'

Josh cheered.

Megan kissed Josh's cheeks. 'Thanks, boob! Frazz worked wonderes.'

Drake huggled the hell out of Josh.

* * *

Lola smiled when she heard about the results of Drake, Megan, Zoey and Josh.

Dustin calculated. 'OK, that's twenty miles for me, thirty miles for Megan, thus fifty miles, and you offered fifteen bucks per mile, which amounts to … 750 bucks!'

Lola choked. 'But I've only offered 15 for you and fifteen for Drake, hence … I can't afford more than those thirty bucks!'

Megan shrugged. 'Er, Lola … the stakes are per mile! Haven't you read the smallprint?'

Lola went totally pale.

'Oh my god!' Drake sighed. 'If I had known that, I wouldn't have used Frazz! Damn' you, Josh!'

Josh trembled all over.

Zoey intervened. 'Calm down, I'm going to talk to Mr. Carmine, the boss of the charity company which is responsible for the walkathon!'

Megan sighed.

* * *

Zoey came back from Carmine's office. 'He's mean and insane! We've got 24 hours to pay the requested 750 bucks, or else …' Zoey shuddered.

'Don't we have to be disqualified for illegal doping?' Drake suggested.

Zoey shook her head. 'These are charity events, not Olympic trials!'

Josh shivered. 'I don't want to be "or elsed"!'

'Mr. Carmine swats flies with a table lamp!' Zoey trembled.

Dustin remembered something. 'Hey! Trisha Kirby used to fling radio sets after flies on the wall!'

'Maybe they are related?' Zoey wondered.

* * *

Carmine walked along the campus in order to catch Lola Martinez who still owed his org 700 bucks.

Suddenly, Trisha Kirby appeared. 'Uncle Carmine![46:1] '

'Trisha!' Carmine huggled his niece. 'How are you doing here?'

'Fine!' Trisha whistled innocently. 'What about a shopping trip downtown?'

Carmine nodded. 'OK! Come to the parking site!' He totally forgot about Lola.

Megan sighed with relief. ' Fortunately Trisha wasn't too much upset, as Dustin is her ex-boyfriend, kind of, sort of …'

'Not even Drake could change girls as fast as Trisha changes boys,' remarked Josh.

'OK, we've delayed Carmine … but that doesn't solve it …' Megan moaned, 'not yet …'

* * *

Helen Baxter showed up, right when Carmine returned from his shopping trip. 'OK, Lola, I may borrow you 700 bucks. I'm going to subtract them from Josh's salary.'

Drake and Lola sighed with relief. 'Thanks, Helen!'

Josh chuckled.

* * *

**Chapter 47 The Mini Stove**

* * *

Hungry Dean Rivers was waiting in his office for a sushi. It was unusually late. Alas, today, he couldn't get home as usual.

As Beverly was already gone, the doors were left open.

Megan marched in, carrying the California rolls that Dean Rivers had ordered from Kazu's. 'Sir! Your sushi!'

'OK!' He grabbed the wrapping greedily and rendered a few bucks of tip unto Megan. He sighed deeply.

Megan shrugged. 'Why are you here that late?'

Dean Rivers grumbled. 'I'm testing this mini stove.' He moaned. 'It's a gift for my daughter. The normal stove is so dangerous, now that her baby has started learning to crawl everywhere.'

Megan nodded. 'I understand. When I started crawling, Drake had to …'

Dean Rivers wasn't interesting in Megan's stories. 'This damn' thing isn't working!'

Megan took a look at the stove while Dean Rivers stabbed clumsily at the sushi with his chop sticks. She was reminded to the movie Shinyusha she had watched with Dustin and the older boys. 'Phew! I guess you've installed it the wrong way. Maybe Quinn Pensky can fix it?'

'No way!' Dean Rivers shook his head. 'It will explode in my face if she does so!' He shuddered.

Megan sighed. 'Too true!' She left the office as she still had to deliver some more sushi.

* * *

The next morning, Dustin and Megan walked the campus — hand in hand — on the way to their classes. They saw Dean Rivers crossing the main isle with a tired face. 'Sir?'

Dean Rivers yawned heartily. 'Damn' ministove!' He floundered and keeled over, slumping to the ground like a sack of lard.

Megan notified Dr. Glazer who was preparing yet another emergency surgery on Dean Rivers. 'I guess his ministove doesn't work yet!'

Dr. Glazer grumbled. 'I've told him not to work too much. With each emergency case, his general health will grow weaker and weaker.' He stomped his feet. 'And then all that stress with his tyrannic wife!'

Dustin sighed when Glazer and his henchmen had carried away the unconscious dean … 'I hope he won't die too fast … otherwise, Mrs. Hayfer might come back and replace him!'

Megan shuddered with disgust.

* * *

Drake and Josh shared the fears of Megan and Dustin.

Dustin wondered whether Josh could not sneak in and fix the mini stove, at least with Quinn's help.

Megan smiled. 'Sure! I wouldn't trust either of you freaks alone, but if you're together …'

Quinn sighed. 'Do you know that Zoey had kissed a guy named Jeff Norkin[47:1] the year before she came to this school? And she didn't really love him … just because he had wished it so much!'

Lola nodded. 'Scary thought!'

Drake shrugged. 'Before knowing Lola, I've kissed many girls that …'

Megan stared at Drake. But she was happy that those times were gone. ' Anyways, do you know Jeff Norkin?' she asked Dustin.

'Yeah, he's very timid,' Dustin sighed. 'I guess this to be his only kiss for his whole life.'

Megan had some diabolic plan. 'What if we get Norkin to the PCA?'

'Could be fun …' Dustin grinned.

* * *

Quinn had snuck into the temporarily abandoned office of Dean Rivers and borrowed the mini stove. Then she had brought it into the next session of the science club.

Craig and Eric studied the instruction manual. 'It's all Japanese!'

'Let me have a look at it!' Quinn commanded. 'Hey! You hold it upside down!' Then she corrected the booklet. 'OK, if we put the left plug into the right socket, and crank the lever wheel by 90 degrees to the left … '

'Sorry!' Firewire intervened. 'But those Japanese guys always get left and right mixed up!'

'They do?' Eric shivered. 'I'm going to weld the wire that Doty has just destroyed.'

'That was just because Arthur …' Doty countered.

Mindy shook her head. 'I fear this ain't going anywhere, not until Dean Rivers is back from hospital, anyways!'

* * *

Zoey was getting ready for a date with James Garrett. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. 'Yeah?'

'A visitor for you, Zoey!' Dustin's voice boomed from beyond the door. 'An old acquaintance!'

Zoey wondered who that could be when she opened the door.

Dustin pushed a very shy guy into Zoey's dorm. Then he turned around and giggled into Megan's direction.

Zoey was flabbergasted. 'Jeff?' Her heart dropped down to her hips and below.

Jeffry Norkin trembled and nodded timidly.

Zoey sighed deeply. It had been four years since she had bestowed him with a kiss, after she had heard from some common friend — if Jeff could have been said to have got any friends at all — how much he had wished for it. She stepped up to Jeff and pulled him into a hug. 'Oh my dear!' She sighed deeply when Jeff hugged her back.

* * *

Although they had closed the door when they had pushed Jeff into Zoey's dorm, Megan and Dustin were still waiting outside, listening secretly. They snickered silently.

Along came James Garrett. 'What are you doing at Zoey's door?'

'Oops!' Megan fainted. 'But Zoey is not alone, you …'

James didn't really care. 'We are appointed!' He knocked. 'Zoey, come on!'

Zoey opened the door.

James was consternated.

Zoey sighed. 'James, when I told you that I haven't loved Jeff, back at middle school, I've lied …' She moaned. 'Lied to you, to Quinn, to Lola, to dad and mom and Dustin, to my former friends, and … worst of all …' Zoey sobbed, '… to myself.'

James shrugged. 'So this is Jeff?' He shook the boy's hand.

Dustin and Megan shrugged.

Zoey nodded. 'He's very shy … and I've never admitted to him because … well … it was considered uncool to like someone such as Jeffry. I was the popular girl, you know, and …' She sighed deeply.

Dustin sighed. 'I've been at the PCA when that happened, but I've often suspected that Zoey lived in denial. I hoped that Chase would have made her forget about the whole thing …' Dustin moaned aloud.

Megan took Dustin into her arms. 'I understand. The wish to appear cool makes us do things we don't really want. Think of Trisha …'

Dustin shivered. He was glad that he had admitted to Megan before it was too late.

'Sorry, James. but I think I'm going to give me and Jeff another chance!' Zoey decided on site.

James shrugged. 'It's OK with me!' He smiled and waved. 'And now let's leave them alone!' James commanded Dustin and Megan who followed.

* * *

Dean Rivers came back from hospital. 'Sir …' Quinn reported. 'We couldn't repair your old mini stove …'

'So we've invented that new one!' Josh grinned. 'Complete with a blueberry muffin we've made, using it! And with an English instruction manual!' He rendered a parcel unto Dean Rivers.

The headmaster sighed with relief. 'OK. Thanks, guys. Tipper would have killed me if I had forgotten about that gift for our daughter …'

The geek kids high fived, they waved, and then they walked away silently.

* * *

**Chapter 48 Chocolate Soufflé**

* * *

_153 Dillard Hall_.

Megan Parker slumped down on her bed.

Wendy was the last one to return from the bathroom. She sighed. 'Last birthday, Michael had wished himself a big chocolate soufflé. Logan wanted to make him one, but then they argued over the cookie box …'

'Logan may cook?' Megan and Janie wondered.

Wendy chuckled. 'No way! But at _Vaccaro's_, they make the best chocolate soufflés of California.'

'Yummy!' Megan rubbed her belly. 'Too bad it's a hell of expensive.'

'Ashley has never got any problem getting a place there …' Wendy moaned.

'Yeah, it's oh so hard if you're a tweenie diva with a football star as a brother and the richest heir of California as a boyfriend,' Megan remarked sarcastically.

Janie sighed sadly. 'I want a chocolate soufflé, as well.'

Janie, Megan, and Wendy swooned with delight.

* * *

Megan and Dustin walked up to Coco. 'Hey, you've worked at _Vaccaro's_ as a janitor, right?'

Coco shuddered. 'For two days!' She squealed. 'Then that creep of a Maître D' banned me! '

'Oh, sorry!' Dustin sighed. 'Such a cool restaurant, and such a bastard of a Maître D' …'

* * *

Dustin sighed with despair. 'Unless you're rich enough to threaten to buy the whole noble spelunc, Maître D' Maurice won't let you in or fling you out as soon as they know that you are from the PCA …'

Megan nodded. 'That sucks! They are going to rue it!'

Drake high fived with Megan. He had wanted to celebrate Lola's seventeenth birthday in there, but they had rejected him.

Josh nodded. 'My step-mom messed it all up!'

Megan shook her head. 'Trust me, the whole shop was messed up from the very beginning!'

Drake and Josh sighed. 'We want chocolate soufflé!'

Lola shrugged. 'Can't we make our own?'

Megan scratched her head. 'Maybe … if we had a stove big enough? And enough cocoa … flour … eggs … milk … sugar … butter?' Megan shrugged.

'There are no real stoves in our dorm halls …' Lola sighed.

'How about your mini stoves?' Dustin asked, 'like the one you've made for Dean Rivers?'

Quinn smiled. 'Oops … if we built more of them … why not?'

* * *

Megan and Dustin had asked Coco for her help.

'Chocolate soufflés?' She grimaced. 'I love those things! I've always swallowed the leftovers at _Vaccaro's_. Yummy!'

'Cool!' Megan smiled.

* * *

Josh's grandma was upset. 'You're going to make chocolate soufflés without asking me?' She yelled at Josh, making him tremble, 'don't you know that I've been the queen of the chocolate soufflé makers, ten years ago at the meeting of the Vietnam veterans?'

Josh banged his head against the wall. 'Sorry!'

* * *

Quinn sighed. 'With those little stoves, it's going along too slowly'

Megan nodded. 'Can't you make bigger ministoves?'

'Sure!' Quinn boomed. 'Josh! Help me!'

Megan giggled. She enjoyed watching Josh being commanded around by his fiancé.

Josh sighed and moaned. 'OK! I'm working on it …'

Drake shrugged. He couldn't wait any longer.

Megan chuckled. 'Don't get your finger burnt as you did with Josh's brownies, all the time! Those fudgie boobs …'

Drake twitched upon these painful memories.

Lola promised to lick Drake's fingers healthy, should he ever have burnt them with hot and sweet pastry.

'You're my hottest and sweetest pastry,' swore Drake unto Lola.

* * *

The chocolate soufflés had turned into a plain success.

Wendy was addicted to Michael mouthfeeding her with these.

Josh's grammie whispered something into Megan's ear, making her nod.

Megan stood up. 'OK, starting with tomorrow, Grammie will make and sell her chocolate soufflés regularly at her coffee booth!'

The pupils and Coco all cheered enthusiastically.

* * *

The following days, Grammie obtained many orders from outside the campus, as well, for example from Faye Dunnaway, the owner of Winchester. She needed to employ several pupils in order to accomplish all these orders.

Grammie's recipe was a trifle upstairs from that used by Vaccaro's.

* * *

Dustin beamed when he entered 153 Dillard hall. 'Megan … have you heard that … ' He smiled. 'Vaccaro's has filed bankrupcy!'

'Wow!' Megan high fived with Dustin, and hugged the hell out of him.

Jack did the same with Janie, just because he felt like it.

Janie smiled. 'Thanks, sweetie … but do you know what made them give up?'

Jack nodded. 'Josh's grandmother and Kazu have established a competition for Vaccaro's which they haven't been up to handling … they lost more and more customers.'

Dustin nodded. 'In addition, the police has just arrested Maître D' Maurice for harassment of customers and employees.'

Megan whistled innocently.

Dustin knew that Megan had to do something with that. 'How have you achieved that, honeybun?'

Megan grinned. 'Not much … I've just encouraged Coco to denounce Maurice, that's all!'

Wendy walked in through the door. 'Ouuuch! My tummy hurts!'

Megan shook her head. 'You shouldn't have eaten too much of the chocolate soufflé.'

Wendy sigh. 'I know. But Michael is even worse off.'

Dustin chuckled. 'Maybe Quinn and Josh should invent the fat-free chocolate soufflé?'

Megan beamed. 'Yeah! That will save Michael's butt!'

Dustin grinned. 'Maybe even literally …'

* * *

**Chapter 49 Exsiccated Rivers**

* * *

The girls' lounge …

'Billiard is solely based on geometry and physics,' explained Quinn after having beaten Zoey and Lola in yet another match of snooker.

'Awwww!' Lola moaned. She was fed up with always losing to Quinn.

Drake hugged Lola. 'Josh is a real pool skark.'

Megan grinned. 'He often feigns to play poorly, just in order to raise the stakes, and then he rips them off like nobody's business!'

Drake nodded. 'Megan had taught us to con people like that … by conning me![49:1]'

Megan beamed proudly.

Drake hugged Megan. 'Thanks for the lesson.'

'No prob, boob!' Megan chuckled.

Dustin bounded in, chewing on a chocolate soufflé. 'Hi sweetie!' He huggled Megan.

Megan licked Dustin's temple. 'What's up, honeybun?'

Dustin sighed. 'I've just delivered coffee and some pastry to Dean Rivers … and he mumbles that he's going to divorce from his tyrannic wife! And he has to feign to treat her nicely, for otherwise her sharks will blackmail him.'

Drake sighed. 'He should have done so earlier.'

Josh agreed wholeheartedly. 'Which man lets his wife tell him how much money he may spend on video games?'

Zoey shrugged. 'Dean is really addicted to those. His favourite is _Outer Space Conquest_ from the _Galaxy Wars_ series.'

'It's a cool series,' Logan remarked. 'Have you already seen my animated bust of Dangreto? Only 14 thousand bucks!'

Ashley beamed. 'I've played a little girl in _Galaxy Wars VIII_ …'

Josh bounced around. 'Firewire has got a whole collection of action figures from _Galaxy Wars_.'

Dustin sighed. He liked video games as much as Dean Rivers did. 'Problem is … without a good shark of his own, Tipper's shark will tear him apart. She has got too many witnesses that prove that Dean Rivers has always neglected her for video games. And it's unlikely to meet a video-game addicted judge. Tipper constantly complains that she needs a new life. And her advocates will strip Dean Rivers of his house, his car, his video games, in one word, of everything! Tipper's going to suck him dry like a vampire!'

Josh scratched his head. 'Mindy might be a cool shark!'

Drake and Megan agreed solemnly.

Zoey objected. 'But she hasn't been to law school yet!'

'She has taken honours classes at UCLA Law School,' remarked Josh in his typical manner.

'Yeah!' Megan smiled.

'But that doesn't make her a licensed lawyer,' Zoey moaned.

Megan grinned sadistically. 'Well, Mindy could pester Tipper and her sharks before the whole thing goes to court.'

Josh grinned diabolically, high fiving with Megan.

Quinn called one of her uncles, who was a lawyer in Seattle.

Said uncle went to employ Mindy Crenshaw formally as his assistant.

* * *

Alas, the whole fuss surrounding his upcoming divorce, piling upon his head injuries and the shock from the lion, plus his new problems with withdrawal from chocolate soufflés, had been too much for Dean Rivers.

He had to retire from the position of a headmaster of the PCA, as Dr. Glazer had predicted that he was not going to survive both the stress of his work and the stress of his divorce.

The students now feared that Mr. Bradford was about calling Mrs. Hayfer back into her office at the PCA.

* * *

Dustin went to Zoey. 'Hi sis, I need your help …'

Zoey wondered what he had been up to.

Dustin explained: 'I want to buy promise rings for Megan and me …'

'What?' Zoey was flabbergasted. She was still under the impression of the many divorces that had been going on recently, that of Dean Rivers being the top of the glacier: She had seen their marriage go down the drain for almost four years. 'But I know that you and Megan are special.' She sighed. 'Whereas I …'

'I've hoped for the longest time that Chase and you were soulmates,' moaned Dustin. 'Megan and I, we've given our best in order to show you that you can be more than just best friends.'

'That was so sweet!' Zoey sighed. 'But that term _more than_ bothers me to no end. Usually, you have to give up on a lot. And when it comes down to me and Chase, I would have had to sacrifice most of my life.'

Dustin didn't understand.

Zoey sighed. 'See, I don't even deny that Chase and I … we are soulmates. If I believed in reincarnation, I'd say that we've been together in a previous life. I do need Chase, and Chase needs me, there's no question. But Chase needs to go his way, I need to go mine, and if we went it together, it would lead to too many misunderstandings … whereas Chase understands Addie blindly, and vice versa.'

Dustin shrugged helplessly. He had been witnessing quite a few of those misunderstandings. 'But I had some misunderstandings with Megan, as well, until…'

'Until she had fessed up and you knew it,' continued Zoey. ' And that's the point: I knew from the very first day that Chase was addicted to me. But I also knew that we would not have a future as a couple, not even one like Tipper and Carl Rivers. You were just too small and haven't yet learned what to look for in a girl. Once you knew it, and Megan had fessed up. you've realised that Megan is all you need. Things were quite different when I received Chase's SMS . I knew that we could not be a _happy ever after_ kind of couple, so the choice was between a couple for the time being or best friends forever.'

'That's because you've taught unto me what to look for in girls,' admitted Dustin, hugging Zoey.

'That's what elder sisters are for.' Zoey grinned. 'And now let me make the rings for you and Megan. I'm a designer genius, you know!'

Dustin smiled.

* * *

As the assistant of Quinn's uncle, Mindy had also obtained access to the testament of the founder of the PCA, and she had figured that Mr. Bradford could not simply undermine decisions of the school board.

Mr. Berman smiled. 'Thanks, Ms. Crenshaw … and we've decided to employ Mr. Taylor as our new headmaster!'

Megan grinned. 'I so knew it! …'

Mindy high fived with Megan. ' I've also scanned Tipper's diary with Eric's help … and revealed her destructive fantasies about her husband. She won't even dare to contradict Carl at the court, or else …' Mindy grinned sadistically.

* * *

**Chapter 50 Gravity**

* * *

_69 Bell Hall_.

'Do you think that a goose would be a cool pet?' Lola asked Drake.

'A goose?' Drake chuckled.

Lola shrugged helplessly. 'By the way, we are going to take a field trip to Mystic Mountain with our physics classes — for a ride on one of the roller coasters, either _Spine Twister_ or _Demonator_.'

'Cool!' Drake beamed.

Quinn nodded. She had suggested that trip in order to make the classes more interesting.

Drake and Josh still shivered, recalling their last visit to the _Demonator_…

* * *

The School Park.

Alas, Michael was way less pleased. He was terribly afraid of roller coasters.

Wendy shivered along with Michael. _ Megan had told her about her own ride on the __Demonator__, something which has scared the living hell out of Wendy, whereas Ashley had been staying cool._ 'Is there something wrong with us?' asked Wendy, shivering.

Michael sighed. 'I'm about turning seventeen, while you are only thirteen. So there's a lot going wrong with me. For you, it may be normal.'

Wendy sighed. She didn't want to accept that. 'But Megan has survived the ride, and so did Dustin!'

Knowing about much younger pupils being less afraid of the roller coaster enervated Michael even more.

He considered himself as a total loser.

Wendy sighed.

* * *

_153 Dillard Hall_.

Wendy was desperate. 'Logan had told unto everyone that Michael was afraid of roller coasters!'

Megan choked. That was such a mean thing to do. 'It cries for revenge … bloody revenge!'

Janie nodded solemnly. 'Poor Michael!'

'Michael likes playing with clacker balls.' Megan wondered, 'can't he give a presentation about the physics of clackers, instead?'

'You've got to ask Mr. Beringer, their teacher for physics,' replied Wendy.

'Or I'll send Josh to that Beringer guy,' remarked Megan.

* * *

Josh entered Michael's dorm. 'Hi! You like those clackers? They are addictive!'

Michael smiled. 'Yeah! But they are _clack clack balls_!'

'Whatever!' Josh grinned. 'I've talked to Mr. Beringer, and you may talk about the physics of clack clack balls instead of going on the field trip.'

'And what is the physics of clack clack balls?' Michael wondered.

'Well, they are like two pendula that collide every now and then.' Josh demonstrated it, using a pair of clackers.

'Cool!' Michael beamed.

'A pendulum is driven by the continual transformation of potential into kinetic energy, and vice versa,' explained Josh. 'Whereas, in the moment where two clack clack balls collide, everything is ruled by the law of the conservation of momentum. Ideally, the energy of the system is conserved, as well, but then the clack clack balls would not make a clacking sound.'

'That wouldn't be any fun,' Michael moaned.

Suddenly, Josh's cellular phone rang. 'Joshuah Nichols … oh Megan … we will soon be there …'

'What's up?' Michael wondered.

Josh grinned. 'Megan has caught Logan in a net trap!'

Michael grinned and clenched his fists. 'Yeah! He's going to feel it the hard tour!'

Josh explained that Megan had got a more subtle plan.

* * *

Michael, Josh, Lola, and Drake entered Logan's dorm.

Mark was sitting nearby, knitting a new pullover for his aunt.

Michael took his clackers.

'OK …' Josh grinned. 'All of us know that Logan needs some special tutoring in physics. He hasn't yet understood the laws of the pendulum and the laws of collision. For that avail, Michael is going to give him a special lecture about those laws.'

Michael nodded and grinned. He took his pair of clacker balls and made them bounce and collide over and over.

Lola and Drake applauded cheerfully.

Logan cringed and moaned in terror when he was exposed to Michael's performance, as he was allergic to the sound of clacker balls.

'Ok, Logan, if you have listened carefully to Michael's lecture …' Josh boomed sadistically, 'what are the laws of the pendulum, and the laws of collision?'

Logan just screamed in agony.

Josh shrugged. 'He hasn't understood them yet, so … Michael, yet another demo, please!'

'Sure!' Michael grinned.

Zoey bounded in. 'What's going on here? Firewire has called me and told me that you're torturing him? Mark, and you don't do anything?'

Mark del Figgalo yawned and kept on knitting.

'OK, that was enough! Let him out of there,' commanded Zoey.

'OK!' Megan and Dustin passed by and grinned. They held the remote control for the net trap.

Upon a click, Logan plummeted soundly to the floor.

Michael high fived Megan and Josh. 'The greatest day in my life!'

And all those who had made fun of Michael's fear of the roller coaster were now trembling in terror, fearing the mighty clacker balls.

* * *

_69 Bell Hall_.

Lola sighed with disgust. 'I've seen Stacey with her new pet goose. Now I know that a goose would be such an uncool pet. For everything Stacey does is uncool.'

Drake nodded solemnly. 'Yeah, same goes for Craig and Eric.'

'But everything we do is cool!' Lola smiled.

Drake nodded. 'And that's why I've bought those rings for us …' Drake smiled. 'Well, Megan helped me choose them … I didn't want to rely on my manly taste …'

Lola nodded. 'That's what little sisters are good for …'

Her eyes bugged out when she saw the rings.

'Woahhhh! They are cool!' She donned her ring.

'I've wanted to keep them secret until prom night, but I've thought that we could celebrate this over at Pete's and Sam's with a dinner …' Drake sighed.

Lola nodded. 'Sure! But we're going to tell our friends at prom night!'

Drake nodded solemnly.

When Quinn and Josh bounded in, Drake and Lola quickly hid their rings. 'Hi!'

* * *

**Chapter 51 Mr. Takato**

* * *

Megan wrote into her diary:

* * *

The senior prom for my boobs is approaching at the speed of light. After that, they will be officially done with school. Drake will only care about his career as a rock star of international renown, while Josh is hoping for a scholarship at some upperclass college. Wherever they are going, I'm going to miss them dearly. A few years ago, I've thought that getting rid of the boobs was going to be the greatest day in my life, but now I know that nothing may replace their brotherly love. I'll keep my friends, and, most of all, Dustin. I don't know, but I've got the feeling that he's up to something big. My girly intuition tells me so …

* * *

Lola and Quinn were sad because they weren't going to see Drake and Josh for quite some time after the ball:

They were done with school. Both of them were going to reunite with Lola and Quinn after the girls' senior prom.

* * *

Zoey and Dustin approached Megan who was sitting on a blanket in the meadow.

'Hi!' Megan smiled.

Dustin beamed. 'Megan, our dad knows the manager of _Hotel Chambrolay_ on Maui …'

'And so?' Megan shrugged.

Zoey nodded. ' well, I'm going to work over there as a life guard during the summer break, and Dustin will do so as a room boy. Thing is … each of us may bring someone with us.'

'And I really want you to come with me!' Dustin blushed.

Megan beamed. 'Of course!' She huggled Dustin. 'Provided that mom lets me …'

'I'm going to talk her into it!' Zoey promised, smiling sweetly.

Dustin wondered. 'Zoey … who will be your prom partner?'

Zoey sighed. 'Jeff Norkin … I think that he deserves it.'

When Dustin and Megan had invited Jeff to the PCA for a short visit, they hadn't yet had any clue as to what consequences this visit had been going to trigger.

'I know that you've been behind his surprise visit, right?' Zoey asked Megan and Dustin sternly, forcing them to fess up. 'That's OK, I've come a long way thinking about it …'

Dustin and Megan smiled.

Zoey explained. 'It's true that I've only kissed him because I've pitied him for having wished that so much.' She sighed. 'I have been the popular girl, he was the male wallflower par excellence. About all the other boys wished it so much, too, even more, many of them tried to grab and kiss me.' She shuddered with disgust. 'And at the PCA … you remember, Logan, he has always boasted that he was going to kiss me, one day …'

'Icky,' interjected Megan.

'Yet, among all those boys that wished it in one or the other way, I've chosen to kiss Jeff Norkin.' Zoey sighed. 'There must be something magic about that decision.'

Megan and Dustin sighed. They would have liked to spy the prom.

And Zoey could see that in their eyes. She chuckled. 'You sure are up to something for the prom, I sense it!'

Dustin and Megan whistled innocently.

* * *

Logan and Ashley had donned the most expensive suit and gown they could find.

Chase and Addie had chosen a more modest outfit.

* * *

Wendy was extremely anxious. She was, as expected, going to be Michael's prom date. She couldn't talk about anything else for weeks.

Megan had a hard time helping her boobs to fit into their tuxedo suits. 'Icky!'

Josh screamed.

'If you would tremble somewhat less, I could aim better, and I would hurt you less,' explained Megan. 'It took Zoey five weeks to get your gowns and suits done.'

Drake shrugged.

Wendy sighed. 'Michael wants to take me to the prom in his new old car… and it's stick.' She moaned. 'But he can't handle a stick!'

Megan shrugged. 'OK … that will be fun …' She imagined Michael crashing his car left and right. 'Drake, don't dare to be late. Lola has got to speak the opening words at the prom party!'

'She wants to be fashionably late,' explained Drake.

Megan shook her head. 'Boobs! You're so embarassing, yet I still love you. Something must be wrong with me!' She shuddered.

* * *

'OK, Dustin,' explained Kazu in the new _Sushi Rox_. 'I need you and Megan for the buffet during the prom night.'

'Yeah,' cheered Dustin. 'My sis will sure get hungry!'

Kazu nodded.

Dustin smiled because he had found the way to observe the prom, without any trick or hiding. Alas, he was up to informing Jack and Janie via microcam about everything.

* * *

Drake, Lisa, Addie, Chase, and the other band members performed a blend of Drake's best songs.

James was the last one to enter the ball room. 'OK, Tracy! Let's rock!' He had found Tracy in the last minute.

Mindy and Firewire danced the night away, but they still envied Quinn and Josh for who-knows-what.

Jeff Norkin didn't talk much.

But Zoey didn't care.

It just meant that she was perfect as she was, and that there was no need for any comment by Jeff.

Megan and Dustin fed the participants with California rolls. Once, they slipped — on purpose or by accident? — and poured kikkoman sauce over Logan's tie, and down Ashley's cleavage.

But nobody cared.

At the end of the night, Lola and Drake exchanged solemnly their promise rings, in front of the public, harvesting an hour of applause.

* * *

With tears in her eyes, Megan hugged Drake and Josh for one last time before she was going to enter the taxi that was about taking her, Dustin, Jeff, and Zoey to their flight to Honolulu.

Drake and Josh sobbed when they kissed Megan on the top of her head. 'Be strong, princess!' They whimpered. And they still had to say good-bye to Lola and Quinn who were waiting impatiently.

Jack and Janie watched them, hand in hand.

Dustin's heart was beating at maximum speed. 'OK, there is something …' He was downright excited and could hardly speak. Originally, he had been up to showing the rings unto Megan during the flight to Honolulu, but seeing Megan with Drake and Josh made him want to have the boobs as witnesses by her side. _Zoey was there, too, so it was just fair._ 'Megan, I've got this here — for you!'

Megan took a box with a bow on it. She opened it carefully. 'Dustin! Whoaaaahhh!'

Her eyes bugged out.

Dustin sighed with relief. 'Zoey has designed those rings!'

Zoey smiled. 'OK. The material is cheap …' She knew that this was not going to bother Dustin and Megan. 'You see the family crests of the Parkers and the Brooks engraved in your rings.'

Megan nodded, as she had figured that much.

'Eric explained to me that your room numbers 153 and 165 hold a strong significance for the ancient Pythagoreans. Their ratio is very close to some geometrical ratio. If you interlace your rings in such a way that the centre of each ring comes to lie on the periphery of the other, the ratio of the length of their common sinew and their radii will be about the same as 165 over 153,' reported Zoey. 'It holds some deep mysteries for the ancient Greek philosophy of nature.'

Dustin and Megan looked at each other with mystically glowing eyes. They had donned their rings and made them interlace the way Zoey had told them.

For a moment, the world was aglow.

Everyone stood still in awe.

The outline of an old man of Japanese origin appeared out of nowhere.

'Sayonara. My name is Mr. Takato. I'm the spirit of harmony. I've been asleep for many decades. Thanks for releasing me. You are the Chosen Ones that are coming in order to restore peace and harmony to the PCA.' Mr. Takato dissolved in a puff of smoke.

Dustin and Megan hugged tightly and didn't care. They felt deep inner peace and harmony. This was going to infect Drake, Josh, Zoey, Quinn, Lola, and their other friends: Jack, Janie, Michael, Wendy, Craig, Eric, Stacey, Mindy, Firewire, Logan, Ashley, Scooter, James, the Baldwin sisters, and so on.

_**The End**_

* * *

** 1:1**:

* * *

by Drake Bell who actually portrayed himself in that episode. Alas, here Bell is understood as an artist's pseudonym for Parker

* * *

**2:1**:

* * *

cf. _Fan Number One_

* * *

**2:2**:

* * *

cf. _Little Diva_

* * *

**2:3**:

* * *

cf. _Bad Girl_

* * *

**2:4**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey's Tutor_

* * *

**3:1**:

* * *

_Don't Preach_ by Drake Bell. which I don't own

* * *

**5:1**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Megan's First Kiss_ — surname is freely invented

* * *

**5:2**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Honor Council_, also a main char of _Unfabulous_which I don't own, either.

* * *

**5:3**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Treehouse_ , here identified with Scooter from _Zoey 101_: _Favor Chain_

* * *

**6:1**:

* * *

Sandy Baldwin is from _Zoey 101_: _Lola Likes Chase_, Katie is from _Drake & Josh_: _Megan's New Teacher_, both by the same actress

* * *

**6:2**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Bad Girl_

* * *

**6:3**:

* * *

from _Copacabana_, a song by Barry Manilow which I don't own

* * *

**8:1**:

* * *

cf._Zoey 101_: _Robot Wars_

* * *

**8:2**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Chasing Zoey_, identified with a Mandy in _Drake & Josh_: _Football_

* * *

**9:1**:

* * *

fairie tale by Frank Baum which I don't own, either

* * *

**10:1**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Zoey's Tutor_ mentions the grandpa of Logan Reese as a former scholar of chemistry.

* * *

**11:1**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Honor Council_

* * *

**11:2**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Blues Brothers_

* * *

**12:1**:

* * *

from _Waiting Heart_ by Chris de Burgh, a song which I don't own

* * *

**13:1**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _The Play_

* * *

**14:1**:

* * *

unportrayed Wendy, mentioned in _Zoey 101_: _ Lola likes Chase_, is identified with Wendy from _Drake & Josh_: _Number One Fan_

* * *

**17:1**:

* * *

cf/ _Zoey 101_: _Webcam_

* * *

**17:2**:

* * *

spoof off _Makes Me Happy_, song by Drake Bell which I don't own

* * *

**18:1**:

* * *

cf. _Unfabulous_

* * *

**18:2**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Grammie_

* * *

**18:3**:

* * *

cf. ]daj : _Football_

* * *

**19:1**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Spring Fling_

* * *

**19:2**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Prank Week_

* * *

**19:3**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Mean Teacher_

* * *

**20:1**:

* * *

_Painter Man_ by Boney M. which I don't own

* * *

**20:2**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Mindy Loves Josh_

* * *

**22:1**:

* * *

based on Garland Jeffrys _Take me to the Matador_

* * *

**22:2**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Eric punches Drake_

* * *

**24:1**:

* * *

from Verdi's _Requiem_

* * *

**24:2**:

* * *

Days of wrath, those days when the world gets annihilated, according to David's witness via Sibyl. Lots of trembling will be there when the judges come down ffor a stern examination

* * *

**25:1**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Girl Power_

* * *

**25:2**:

* * *

from Georges Bizet's opera _Carmen_

* * *

**26:1**:

* * *

spoof off _Macarena_, a song by De Los Rios which I don't own

* * *

**26:2**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Webcam_

* * *

**27:1**:

* * *

cf. _Unfabulous_

* * *

**27:2**:

* * *

song by Newsboys which I don't own

* * *

**28:1**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Great Doheny_

* * *

**28:2**:

* * *

song by Drake Bell which I don't own

* * *

**28:3**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Number One Fan_

* * *

**28:4**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Number One Fan_

* * *

**29:1**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_: _Drippin_

* * *

**29:2**:

* * *

[[43] ]cf. Drake & Josh : Megan's New Teacher

* * *

**29:3**:

* * *

from Sinatra's _Volare! Cantare!_ which I don't own, same goes for Domenico Modugno's Italian original.

* * *

**30:1**:

* * *

cf. _The iCarly Show_: _iSpy On A Mean Teacher_

* * *

**30:2**:

* * *

Song by Lisa Tucker which I don't own

* * *

**30:3**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _The Dune Buggy_

* * *

**31:1**:

* * *

cf/ _Drake & Josh_: _Peruvian Power Pepper_

* * *

**31:2**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Aliens_

* * *

**32:1**:

* * *

cf. Drake & Josh : The Demonator

* * *

**33:1**:

* * *

The fake-name thing for Megan is inspired by Paige Howard from Zoey 101 : Paige at PCA being portrayed by Miranda Cosgrove, exactly like Megan Parker.

* * *

**37:1**:

* * *

Song by Spencer Davis Group which I don't own.

* * *

**39:1**:

* * *

line from 'The Cutter' by Runrig, which I don't own either.

* * *

**40:1**:

* * *

_Drake & Josh_: _Paging Dr. Drake_

* * *

**41:1**:

* * *

lion's name from movie _Lion King_ which I don't own — Bantu term for _great strength_ , Zulu term for _lion_

* * *

**41:2**:

* * *

song by Solomon Linda which I don't own either

* * *

**41:3**:

* * *

Zulu term for _You're a lion_ — refers to historical Zulu king Shaka

* * *

**41:4**:

* * *

lionness from _Lion King_

* * *

**43:1**:

* * *

real city, but inspired by _The iCarly Show_ : _iWant To Stay With Spencer_

* * *

**43:2**:

* * *

cf. _Zoey 101_ : _Quarantine_

* * *

**46:1**:

* * *

Sam Puckett from _The iCarly Show_once mentioned a mean-looking uncle Carmine. Sam and Trisha have equally bad habits, and are protrayed by same actress

* * *

**47:1**:

* * *

while mentioned in _Zoey 101_ : _Vince Is Back_, but there is actually a friend of Dan Schneider named like this

* * *

**49:1**:

* * *

cf. _Drake & Josh_: _Pool Shark_


End file.
